tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46755905107929791832016-12-06T21:25:33.783-05:00Uncommon SenseA somewhat sarcastic and mostly honest look into our life.Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.comBlogger600125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-60074196952029085602016-09-11T21:43:00.001-04:002016-09-11T21:43:35.547-04:00I may not live to see our (AAC) glory, but I will gladly join the fight.<i>(Originally posted on our Facebook page on 6/9/16. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1088923801151445&amp;id=123130417730793&amp;substory_index=0">That post, and comments, can be seen here.)</a></i><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">The AAC times, they are a-changing.</span><br /><div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" id="js_3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38; orphans: 2; overflow: hidden; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 0px 0px 6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">I believe this.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe that one day SLP students will sit in (a mandatory) AAC class and learn about the history of AAC.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will learn about prerequisite skills for AAC . . .cognition that is not too low, being attentive and 'motivated to communicate', ability to match symbols to words, solid fine motor skills, minimal to no 'negative behaviors', not too young and not too old.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will be appropriately shocked by the notion that there were once considered to be prerequisite skills for use of a robust AAC system.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will learn about the AAC hierarchy . . . first a child must recognize and match photos with labels, then more abstract pictures. First a child must select from a field of 2, then 4, then 6, and so on up the even-numbered-marching ladder. First a child must be able to understand categories and which items belong in each category, because how else will they find breakfast foods? First a child must successfully use no tech, then low tech, then, if mastery is demonstrated, high tech.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will be appropriately horrified.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will wring their hands over the children who were victims of this outdated, dangerous approach to AAC. They will somberly reflect upon the children who lived and died and understood and sat in basement classrooms with no way to say anything meaningful, the way that we currently somberly reflect upon the children with disabilities who used to be placed in institutions at birth.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will have trouble understanding.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will say "But we know that typical kids learn to speak by saying words and having people respond---of course nonspeakers would learn AAC the same way."</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will say "We immerse typically developing babies in speech, because they can access and produce speech . . . of course we should immerse children with language difficulties in robust AAC, because they can access and produce that type of 'speech.'"</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will be grateful for the tools at their disposal, many of which I probably can't imagine.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">They will introduce and implement AAC early and often as part of a first-level treatment approach for nonspeakers. And those nonspeakers will have more rapid increases in their development of communicative intent, their ability to share their thoughts, and their rate of speech development.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe this.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe that the voices we lend to this fight accelerate the process. I believe that every time we speak publicly about presuming competence, giving all the words, using robust systems early and often, and throwing away the ridiculous hierarchy, we reach new people. And while some of these new people will brush us off as idealistic, some will join the movement. Others will think twice the next time they sit down and pull out a small set of picture cards.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There's a line in the musical Hamilton that says, "I may not live to see our glory, but I will gladly join the fight." I believe that this lines directly up with our place in AAC history.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Presuming competence.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">No effing prerequisite skills for robust AAC.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">AAC immersion that isn't contingent upon rapid successful participation from the potential AAC user.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">I may not live to see our glory, but I will gladly join the fight.</span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div><div style="margin: 6px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">Fight with us.</span></div></div><div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" id="js_3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38; orphans: 2; overflow: hidden; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="display: inline; margin: 6px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" id="js_3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38; orphans: 2; overflow: hidden; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="display: inline; margin: 6px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ll9lCcq1daU/V9YHdSKfTLI/AAAAAAAAF1Q/GAMiSb_TXAgL6OWNS2RsdGj882nGSBekQCLcB/s1600/glory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ll9lCcq1daU/V9YHdSKfTLI/AAAAAAAAF1Q/GAMiSb_TXAgL6OWNS2RsdGj882nGSBekQCLcB/s400/glory.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" id="js_3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38; orphans: 2; overflow: hidden; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="display: inline; margin: 6px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div class="_5pbx userContent" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" id="js_3" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38; orphans: 2; overflow: hidden; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><div style="display: inline; margin: 6px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-59842101330626309582016-08-23T20:44:00.002-04:002016-09-01T22:11:02.199-04:00The book formerly known as "Curious George Gets a Talker"<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome, friends, to the former home of the book "Curious George Gets a Talker."&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">(If you're brand new and don't know what I'm referring to, it was a super neat PowerPoint book that I wrote about Curious George using a communication device, and then I cut up photocopies of our George books with my kids and we put talkers in them. It was pretty neat :) )</span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">If this disappearance is coming as a shock, let me explain.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I made the book, it was for my kids (my daughter, Maya, who uses a communication device by necessity, and her little brother, Will, who uses a communication device because we are an AAC family). We had fun doing it and they *loved* the finished product. Per usual, when I create resource-y things, I put it up here to share with the intent of supporting other AAC users. AAC folks loved it and all was good. It was translated into multiple languages! I received touching emails with photos and videos of their kids reacting to it! Until . . .</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The next day someone asked about copyright. Knowing nothing of copyright stuff, I had no idea whether it was an issue. I wasn't selling anything, I saw oodles of homemade character crafts elsewhere online (ahem, pinterest), and other friends chimed in citing fair use law, so I thought it was probably fine. But, being a fine upstanding non-thief-y type of person, I emailed the Curious George people (actually the&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Houghton Mifflin Harcourt people) to self-report the usage. I explained the project, sent them the book, and asked whether it was permissible to leave in place or whether it should be removed. (This is also why I didn't repost the link on Facebook or share the translated versions---I thought it was wiser to wait to hear back from HMH.) After a few days I got a reply that my email had been passed to a different department, and I didn't hear anything else until today.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(<i>Side note: I can't help but wonder how many emails they get self-reporting potential copyright infringement. Not many, I would guess. Ha.)</i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">Earlier this evening I received a very polite email from the HMH folks saying that, while<span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;they appreciated the effort to provide resources to the disability community, there are "strict editorial standards for creating new stories featuring the character," and they requested that I pull the file down.&nbsp;</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And so . . .&nbsp;</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*poof*</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But wait, there's more.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">While HMH requested the removal of the booklet due to the copyright, they were "inspired by [our] story" and as a gesture of appreciation they have offered to make a donation in Maya's name of 100 HMH children's books to a nonprofit of our choosing. (They also are sending us a small gift basket of books for Will and Maya, which is lovely.)</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>That's pretty cool. Considering that not only did they have no obligation to be charitable, they actually could have been righteously indignant, it's very generous.</div><div><br /></div><div>So the book isn't here anymore. I'm not really bummed about it, though. It reached some kids (most importantly to me, my own). The books that will be donated will reach some more kids. My kids and I had a blast making it. If only I could draw, we could have made it with other characters to begin with . . . which brings me to the next point:</div><div><br /></div><div>While the character images in my book belonged to HMH, the story was mine. It was a pretty good story from an AAC perspective: there was modeling, multiple communicative functions, multiple communication partners, multiple communicative environments, etc. Curious George, while beloved and adorable and well-known, is not essential for the story to work. The main character could really be any animal (I'm particular to Parker the poodle, but Sara the squirrel or Harry the hamster or Carl the cat or really anyone could work).</div><div><br /></div><div>But I can't draw.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>And so if you, dear reader, happen to be an illustrator, or happen to know an illustrator, or just like to draw (simple, emotive, child-friendly) characters in your spare time . . . well, get in touch (uncommonfeedback@gmail.com). If anyone can make it work, I'd be happy to attach the story to someone new. &nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Our kids need more AAC stories. &nbsp;(And I can't help draw them, but I can happily help with the stories----so if any book folks out there want to run with this, well . . . it's a good idea. And I'm happy to help.)</div></div><div><br /></div><div>----</div><div><br /></div><div>(Totally unrelated side note: this is the first week of my new semester, and posts have been pretty thin here since I started back in grad school. If you want to keep up with us, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Uncommon-Sense-Blog-123130417730793/">our Facebook page is really the place to go!)</a></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-21038285018664683902016-08-01T21:16:00.001-04:002016-08-01T21:16:10.583-04:0021 Days of AAC Challenge: 2016<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><u><b>New, 2016-style Introduction:</b></u></span></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">We are freshly back from AAC family camp (which I will definitely blog about at some point, but if you'd like to see some snippets from camp you can see them on our FB page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/1118737031503455/?type=3&amp;theater">here</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1119461568097668&amp;id=123130417730793">here</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/1119475058096319/?type=3&amp;theater">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1120822977961527&amp;id=123130417730793">here</a>). It's that last post that's leaving me hungry to do more, to be a better support for my AAC-using daughter, particularly as she often wants to use her (mostly unintelligible to strangers) speech and reject her device. I'm scared that she's losing her skills (well, because she is---<a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/1116065165103975/?type=3&amp;theater">more on that here</a>) and I'm scared of<a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/1116741248369700/?type=3&amp;theater"> the implications for her future</a>&nbsp;if she doesn't maintain/increase her AAC fluency.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">And so, friends, it's AAC challenge time!</span></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">And this year, there's a friendly new (free) printable. &nbsp;First, check out the details of the AAC modeling challenge below (re-run from last year). At the bottom you'll find the oh-so-easy printable calendar. *THIS CALENDAR IS NOT MANDATORY.* Nothing is mandatory---this is all made-up, remember? But for those who like the self-satisfaction that comes with crossing off another day, or who enjoy the data collection of jotting a (very) few daily notes, this new addition is for you.&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">And now, the details:&nbsp;</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">-----------</span></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">If you are a member of an AAC family, you have likely heard that the most important thing that you can do (after providing your child with a&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyHtoKuNU7c" style="background-color: white; color: #a1ccdd; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;">robust ready-to-support-language system</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp;and presuming competence) is model. Modeling (also known as aided language stimulation, aided language input, and ALgS) is when you use your child's AAC system to communicate, with several variations:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">(words spoken via AAC are in bold)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><br /><ul style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Use your child's system to highlight certain words as you also speak: "<b>We</b>&nbsp;are having&nbsp;<b>fun</b>."&nbsp;</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Use your child's system to build whole phrases/sentences instead of speaking. "<b>Your turn.</b>"</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Use a separate device with the same language file (this works if you have 2 iPads and your child is using a communication app) as your own AAC device. (This is also called dual device modeling). (Same examples as above, just with your own talker.)</li></ul><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Of course, you could also highlight words without speaking them, or build whole phrases/sentences while speaking them, or use a combination of single and dual device modeling, or probably a bunch of other possible modeling plans that I haven't listed.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">(Is this starting to feel complicated?)</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">And then there's the question of which words/phrases to model. There's a lot of emphasis on core words and core vocabulary (core words = the words that make up the large majority of a person's vocabulary; including versatile, simple words like&nbsp;<i>eat, push, go, stop, in, up, this, it</i>) . . . but we also know that sometimes the stuff that gets our kids most interested in talking are the fringe words (names of tv characters, favorite toys, words like&nbsp;<i>fart, poop, gross</i>). And then there may be essential words/phrases/topics that we know are important for our child to start incorporating (communication repair phrases like&nbsp;<i>That's not what I said</i>, social interaction phrases like&nbsp;<i>What's your name</i>,&nbsp;questions, words to describe pain/seizures/medical conditions, introduction strategies, etc.) &nbsp;Not to mention the wealth of questions that immediately arise as soon as you try to model:</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><i>For beginners:</i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Wait, which words should I highlight?&nbsp;</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Should I only model present tense verbs or should I use all of the tenses?</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Do I need to pick a set of words and only model those 5-10 words until my child is using them?</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Should I model one word at a time or more than one? When should I ever model full sentences?</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">What if my child isn't paying attention when I'm trying to model? Should I wait? Make him/her watch? Quit and try again later? Keep going?</li></ul><div><i>For intermediate/advanced:</i></div><div><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">My child usually knows where words are better than I do, am I really adding much by continuing to model?</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">How can I balance between hitting new language targets while also remaining fluid and flexible in conversation (rather than feeling like a lesson)?</li><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">When should I recast/correct my child's production (eg. using AAC to restate their sentence while correcting verb tense, or adding articles, etc), and when should I ignore the errors?</li></ul></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>It can be overwhelming.</div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><i>Depending on your degree of over-thinking-ness, it can be&nbsp;<u>really</u>&nbsp;overwhelming. (My over-thinking-ness degree is high, for the record).</i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">And yet, undeniably, modeling is essential.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Modeling provides children with accessible language input (input in a language that they will be able to access and then also use, whereas they may not be able to attempt to use the speech that they are hearing constantly). Children are immersed in speech from birth, but AAC users receive only a tiny fraction of that accessible language modeling in their AAC language. While many families can count on AAC to be modeled during weekly speech therapy sessions, consider these thoughts from Jane Korsten:</div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;; font-size: 13.2px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.45px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The typically developing child will have been exposed to oral language for approximately 4,380 waking hours by the time he begins speaking at about 18 months of age.</em><span style="background-color: transparent;">&nbsp;</span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;; font-size: 13.2px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.45px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If someone is using a different symbol set and only has exposure to it two times a week, for 20 – 30 minutes each, it will take the alternate symbol user 84 years to have the same experience with his symbols that the typically developing child has with the spoken word in 18 months!!!&nbsp;</em></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;; font-size: 13.2px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.45px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The typically developing child will demonstrate language competency around 9 – 12 years of age having been immersed in and practicing oral language for approximately 36,500 waking hours. For 9 – 12 years that child has been using and receiving corrective feedback while practicing with the spoken word.&nbsp;</em></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;; font-size: 13.2px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.45px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At twice a week, 20 – 30 minutes each time, it will take the alternate symbol user 701 years to have the same experience.</em></blockquote><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><div style="border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.45px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">If we are to make any sort of dent in closing that gap, AAC modeling needs to become something that we do at home (and in the grocery store, and while out on a walk, and in the doctor's office, and . . . you get the idea)---for AAC beginners, of course, but even for our intermediate/advanced users.&nbsp;</span></div></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some things that are great about modeling:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It provides children with an increased amount of accessible language input (as mentioned above)</span></li></ul><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hands-on modelin</span>g time sneakily forces the modelers to become more familiar with the vocabulary placement and to increase their fluency with the system</li></ul><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Modeling will undoubtedly lead to programming/opening more words in the system, as you will notice things that you want to say but can't, because words are missing</li></ul><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Using AAC will validate your child's system, in a subtle-but-real way that says&nbsp;<i>I think this is such a great way of communicating that I want to use it, too!</i></li></ul><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Things that are challenging about modeling (aka "reasons that maybe sometimes I don't want to model") and why those are also great:</div><div><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><i>My child wanders away when I am modeling and then the whole thing seems pointless.</i>&nbsp;Keep modeling anyway. Children who use AAC need to be determined to get their point across: AAC is slow, sometimes hard to hear, sometimes awkward or cumbersome. Our kids will have listeners who wander away----they need to see that it's worth sticking it out to communicate your thoughts. You're not just modeling the words, you're modeling what it looks like to use a communication system. You're modeling that you are comfortable using AAC, that you value it and don't quit just because listeners are indifferent. Stick it out.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><i>My child finds the words much faster than I do. I feel awkward searching for so long between each word.</i>&nbsp; You are not only modeling words, you are modeling what to do when you are looking for a word that you don't know (I guarantee that our kids have words in their heads that they don't attempt to say with their devices simply because the words aren't programmed in or they don't know where to find them). &nbsp;Use this opportunity to say things like "Huh, I want to say&nbsp;<i>enormous</i>&nbsp;but I don't know where that is . . . do you have&nbsp;<i>enormous</i>&nbsp;in here<i>?</i>&nbsp;. . . let's take a look" while you model how to use the search feature. You can model how to use a synonym if the exact word isn't in there, or how to use a button like&nbsp;<i>"I don't have the word that I want"</i>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<i>"I need a new word."&nbsp;</i>You are modeling how to fight to get your message across, how to not quit because it is hard. (Also, if you ask your child for help finding words they may love being the expert :) )</li></ul><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><i>I feel awkward using the device while out-and-about. Of course, I want my child to use his/her system anywhere, but I am a speaking adult, and I feel strange wearing an iPad and using it to talk in line at Starbucks.&nbsp;</i>I get it. I want Maya to feel empowered and proud and awesome when she wears and uses her talker, and yet I sometimes feel sheepish doing the same. I'm not a big fan of drawing extra attention to myself in public, and holding an electronic device and tapping on it with your kids is going to solicit some looks (and maybe comments too, about how we are all addicted to devices now). But we are awesome when we model in public. Maya has shown me, time and again, that she is generally resistant to using the talker in new places (so much to see and do that it's hard to care enough about communicating to slow down and do it). I need to model that it's worth taking the time to communicate everywhere---that we can pause on our walk to comment on something we see, that I can stop to ask a question, that it's ok (more than ok!) to take the time to use the device whenever, wherever.</li></ul><ul style="line-height: 1.4; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px 2.5em;"><li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><i>My child sometimes pushes my hands away when I try to use his/her talker.</i>&nbsp;This one, actually, is the one reason that I would back off (temporarily) on the modeling. If you don't have a second device available for modeling and your child is showing this type of possessiveness over his device, I would honor it and simply try again later. I would ask permission ("can I use your talker to say something?") and/or choose a time when he isn't much interested in using it.&nbsp;</li></ul></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Despite knowing how important modeling is, sometimes I drop the ball. ("Sometimes" has sometimes been for a while, for the record.) Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. Sometimes life gets in the way, or I forget, or it starts to seem not that important. Sometimes we all need a jumpstart.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">So here's my proposal:&nbsp;<b>For the next 21 days, join me in committing to modeling with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.</b>&nbsp;Do not worry about whether you are doing it "right", just do it. I will post&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncommon-Sense-Blog/123130417730793" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">nightly threads on our Facebook page&nbsp;</a>that provide an example of some type of modeling that I did that day (because sometimes simply seeing what someone else is doing is enough to have you thinking&nbsp;<i>"Oh, that's it? I can do that.</i>"). I (strongly) encourage you all to jump in---post to the daily thread, check in, share pictures or stories from your day of modeling. Ask questions. Share ideas/activities. &nbsp;Just keep going.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: center;"><u><b>21 Days of AAC Challenge Frequently Asked Questions*:</b></u></div><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>-Why 21 days?</b></i><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Once upon a time, I learned that it takes 21 days of doing something (like exercising or waking up early) to form a habit. When the idea of this AAC challenge sprang into my head, along with it came the 21 day time frame---perfect for forming the habit of daily modeling, I thought. Then I googled and learned that the whole 21-days-to-form-a-habit thing is an odd, non-scientific myth . . . but I think it's still a great amount of time for a challenge, so I'm sticking with it.&nbsp;</div><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><i>-How long do I need to model for it to count? 10 minutes? 30?</i></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">This is a made up challenge without points or prizes. You earn your "day" of modeling by actively deciding to model and jumping in. Extra imaginary points will be assigned if you model throughout the day. (I think this is the sort of thing where success compels you to do it more---I have found that making myself model actually makes me want to do it more.)</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>-<i>I'm kind of new to modeling and don't know where to even start--help?</i></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Here are a few great getting started resources:</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-started-with-meaningful-modeling.html" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">Getting Started With Meaningful Modeling</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/take-look-tuesday-aided-language.html" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">Some modeling videos!</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://www.speakforyourself.org/2014/01/26/simon-says-model-one-word/" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">Simon Says: Model One More Word</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/more-resources-monday-aided-language.html" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">More Modeling Resources</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">But remember, the whole point of this is just to get more comfortable with modeling, and to form the modeling habit----it doesn't have to be structured or magical, it just has to happen.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>-<i>My kid isn't a beginner anymore---is my modeling really that useful?</i></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Yes. You are modeling how to be an active, determined AAC user in a fast-paced world. You can pick higher-level language targets (using comparative and superlative adjectives, using contractions, increasing the number of questions asked, taking a larger number of conversational turns, starting to use and introduction strategy, modeling sentences with active verbs and then their counterparts with passive verbs, etc etc etc) to model.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><i>-This is a great idea, but &nbsp;. . . (we're about to go on vacation//it's the first week of school//we are throwing a family barbecue this weekend//insert other life-gets-in-the-way excuse here) . . . maybe I could start next week instead?</i></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">No, you have to start now.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Ok, actually I am just some lady on the internet and I can't hold you accountable for anything . . . but I think you should start now. Life is busy, and it will always get in the way. Particularly for our AAC users, who have to stop, form an idea, find the words to say the idea (often dealing with motor challenges while doing that) and then communicate it. That's a struggle. It's not fair for us to think "gah, it's too hard to start today" while our kids have to do it everyday. Suck it up, buttercup.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Join me, guys. This is going to be really fun!&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">I'll share a few bonus ideas (like, "If you're looking for something to focus on today, try incorporating more adjectives" or something) along the way, in case you're struggling to come up with fun new stuff.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncommon-Sense-Blog/123130417730793" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">This is going to be Facebook based</a>&nbsp;(rather than blog posts) because it's still too painful to type a lot (my arm is on fire right now), and FB allows for it to be more interactive---I want to see your ideas and pictures and stories, too. At the end of the 21 days maybe I'll try to compile it into one giant blog post so that it will be easier to find.&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Happy modeling!</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">*"frequently asked questions" = "questions that I just made up right now"</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">--------------------------</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;">Ok, here's the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">calendar</span><span style="font-size: 13.2px;">. It's a very simple August calendar. Each day there is are two faces---circle the smiley if you modeled, circle the sad face if you didn't (but seriously, you can do all smileys. It's only 21 days). There is also a spot for "notes"----jot down anything (words added, new things said, highlights, lowlights, etc) or nothing. </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRQ1F3RExTNnh0N3M/view?usp=sharing" style="font-size: 13.2px;">The printable PDF is here.</a><span style="font-size: 13.2px;">&nbsp;</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vqvZu_w2XaE/V5_x95WxOxI/AAAAAAAAFws/jfbC7rvAkoQ5zLkN2KKePcX3gQnD_evLQCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-08-01%2Bat%2B9.05.35%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vqvZu_w2XaE/V5_x95WxOxI/AAAAAAAAFws/jfbC7rvAkoQ5zLkN2KKePcX3gQnD_evLQCLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-08-01%2Bat%2B9.05.35%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">image is a printable calendar for tracking modeling</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Join us. Chime in on Facebook. Share. Motivate each other. Collaborate and problem solve together.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">AAC families, unite!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3lQUKnytVCk/V5_z2m4bEmI/AAAAAAAAFw8/zoDmqulGizo0-xXIyc82YwmUCdQuj1QeACLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3lQUKnytVCk/V5_z2m4bEmI/AAAAAAAAFw8/zoDmqulGizo0-xXIyc82YwmUCdQuj1QeACLcB/s400/FullSizeRender%2B60.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image is Dave and Maya, sitting on a low grey brick wall.&nbsp;</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dave is modeling on a device while Maya, who is wearing Mini, is looking on.</span></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-27074376526610119412016-07-21T12:11:00.002-04:002016-07-21T12:11:42.750-04:00Movies and a Mission: the Prospector Theater<div><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">It is worth noting at the start of this post that <b>this is NOT a sponsored post</b> or a paid advertisement. There is some shameless gushing and praise, and in the world of blogs that seems to often involve compensation or free goods--that is not the case here (this is not a money-making blog, and I don't do sponsored posts). I'm just gushing because this is worth gushing over.</span></i></div><div><i><br /></i></div>Oh, hello there.<div><br /></div><div>It seems as if it's been 6 months and 6 days since my last blog post (but who's counting). Spring semester started at the end of January, and summer semester started 3 days after spring semester ended. I spent those two semesters working in the clinic (with my very own clients) and, well, I can be a mom and a student clinician, or a mom and a writer, but apparently I cannot be a mom, a student clinician, and a writer. Not yet, anyway :) &nbsp;(This is where I should mention that I'm very active on the Facebook page, so that's the place to follow along and join in. I'm also going to try to move some of the "best" FB posts/reflections over here in my upcoming time off.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of time off: I'm on vacation, folks. Maya's still in school, but the rest of us aren't. And because sometimes family time trumps school time (shh, don't tell) today we pulled Maya out of school to go somewhere more important.</div><div><br /></div><div>The movies.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>(Seriously.)</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't the movie (<i>Finding Dory)</i>&nbsp;that made the trip special (although the movie was great, and particularly resonates with families of children with disabilities---<a href="http://www.prospectortheater.org/blog/dory">read more about that here</a>). What made the trip really special was the theater.</div><div><br /></div><div>You guys, this theater. The Prospector Theater (in Ridgefield, CT) is "a 501(c)(3) non-profit first-run movie theater that provides meaningful employment to people with disabilities."* That sentence alone is notable---as it is the <u>only</u>&nbsp;non-profit first run theater in the country, and because <u>meaningful</u>&nbsp;employment for people with disabilities is (devastatingly) hard to come by. The US Department of Labor Report from 2014 reported that 80% of adults with disabilities were unemployed.*&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>But wait, there's more.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's gorgeous. It's spotless. It's staffed by a group of friendly, professional people who are genuinely glad to see you and are working to ensure you have a good experience. The environment is warm, welcoming, and flexible. Movies aren't easy for Maya----she needs sensory supports, she needs movement, she needs flexibility.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I can't remember how we first heard about the Prospector Theater, but I know that it crossed my Facebook feed around a year and a half ago (it has only been in existence since 2014). Last summer, when we thought the kids were ready for their first movie theater experience, I knew exactly where we were going to go---we headed to the Prospector Theater to see <i>Inside Out.</i>&nbsp;The experience was wonderful, and I knew that when we had the time for movie #2 (and something really captivating was playing, because movies can be a bit of work for Maya) we would return. And I knew that this time I would take pictures and write about it (what I didn't know is that we would haphazardly end up meeting the founder of the theater and getting a little tour). Which brings us to today.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>We were pretty excited.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HIIE3AH4x5o/V5AWr5-7pCI/AAAAAAAAFu8/xcWRbwGG61EbOf_8AWghUaAOaEZx00OSgCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HIIE3AH4x5o/V5AWr5-7pCI/AAAAAAAAFu8/xcWRbwGG61EbOf_8AWghUaAOaEZx00OSgCLcB/s320/FullSizeRender%2B37.jpg" width="252" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>image is a white wooden sign which reads "ridgefield library (forward arrow)Prospector Theater (right arrow)" posted in green grass</i></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i11C6xZC-IQ/V5AWaKXtsiI/AAAAAAAAFu4/_kVPCAU7kkARL8EdayN2yMqAFWYE3Hb5wCLcB/s1600/IMG_6906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-i11C6xZC-IQ/V5AWaKXtsiI/AAAAAAAAFu4/_kVPCAU7kkARL8EdayN2yMqAFWYE3Hb5wCLcB/s640/IMG_6906.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>image is Will and Maya standing outside the entrance to the theater</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We arrived early for the first movie of the day, and were literally the only non-employees there (more on that later). It gave us time to try out the bean bag chairs in the theater (which I totally would have stayed in, but the kids wanted to move back to the seats for the movie) and re-explore how beautiful (and meticulously clean) the theater is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The theater our movie was being shown in:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J2VXtmZT0A4/V5AYDlF0HnI/AAAAAAAAFvM/4Zx05ed7fQsp3huKyqIYWVrZpFNFz_AhwCLcB/s1600/IMG_6909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J2VXtmZT0A4/V5AYDlF0HnI/AAAAAAAAFvM/4Zx05ed7fQsp3huKyqIYWVrZpFNFz_AhwCLcB/s400/IMG_6909.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>image shows Will and Maya sitting in bean bags with the stadium seating section of the theater behind them</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">There were stars on the ceiling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CBVwb0CA7rw/V5AYEm7QTRI/AAAAAAAAFvQ/6TERwJnJ0loB1_8sYoWdn1ZZtYprtEsBACLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CBVwb0CA7rw/V5AYEm7QTRI/AAAAAAAAFvQ/6TERwJnJ0loB1_8sYoWdn1ZZtYprtEsBACLcB/s400/FullSizeRender%2B16.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i>image shows Will and Maya laughing in the bean bags, the blue lighting and stars on the ceiling is visible above them</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">The lobby.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zexgmi-5E4w/V5AYGR7rrCI/AAAAAAAAFvU/gj9-yQr4neAc2nOu2RAfp5VGhX8z8LJmACLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zexgmi-5E4w/V5AYGR7rrCI/AAAAAAAAFvU/gj9-yQr4neAc2nOu2RAfp5VGhX8z8LJmACLcB/s400/FullSizeRender%2B19.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i>image shows an area of the lobby with fancy wood risers and different blocks to sit on. The bright pink walls of the mezzanine can be seen in the rear.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;This was inside the bathroom. Inside! It's so pretty.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BzFSuWSLR3k/V5AYVP6PIDI/AAAAAAAAFvg/_CquHvugaI03w0iI8NSPUeKwZ5l37VthQCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B19%2Bcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BzFSuWSLR3k/V5AYVP6PIDI/AAAAAAAAFvg/_CquHvugaI03w0iI8NSPUeKwZ5l37VthQCLcB/s640/FullSizeRender%2B19%2Bcopy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i>images shows Maya and I standing before a full length mirror, with white sparkly walls and dressing-room-style light bulbs lining the mirror</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">They have a bar. A coffee-but-also-wine-and-good-beer-on-tap bar.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BICS54lc4eg/V5AYTBYCdZI/AAAAAAAAFvc/ZZwC3H3tGFQ6UffZePQfeKjOhyh5hYDzACLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BICS54lc4eg/V5AYTBYCdZI/AAAAAAAAFvc/ZZwC3H3tGFQ6UffZePQfeKjOhyh5hYDzACLcB/s400/FullSizeRender%2B29.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>image shows the entrance to the coffee and wine/beer bar, with small sign outside reading that "Beer &amp; Wine are now served at Heads Up Cafe". The wall is exposed brick, and there is a spiral rack displaying t-shirts for sale outside of the entrance.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were literally the only ones there to see <i>Finding Dory</i>&nbsp;at 10:45. An accidental private showing. We ate popcorn, we had a wrapping blanket and a few other sensory tricks ready. The usher in charge of our theater was courteous and helpful, and as the last scene faded away 3 employees appeared to assist with clean-up, thank us for coming, and bid us farewell.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And we were just about to leave when I noticed that the founder of the theater was there. I know a bit of the backstory from following the theater on social media and checking out their website (more on that below)---the building had once been a theater, then a bank, then was scheduled for demolition. Valerie Jensen ended up taking over the building and having it restored/rebuilt into a stunning, fully accessible* 4-theater movie theater. &nbsp;*<i>really fully accessible: every theater and the projection booth are fully accessible, and all theaters support both closed captioned glasses that provide subtitles and high-quality headphones that stream dialogue and provide descriptions of scenery, etc.</i>&nbsp; Val, sitting with her computer in the lobby, was hard to miss---both because she is an active presence on the theater's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theprospectorridgefield/">Facebook page</a> and because she has fluorescent pink hair. &nbsp;We were half out the door (literally, Dave and Will were already walking to the car) when I turned back to say hi to her and compliment the great work and mission of the theater.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Long story short, we were there for another half hour. (The guys came back in from the parking lot.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Val chatted with us, small talk at first, then more in depth. We talked about teaching (she is a former teacher as well) and about the theater. &nbsp;She told us about seeing the need for meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities and responding to that need for jobs. The theater has 110 employees (known as Prospects) and receives thousands of applications. To create maximum job opportunities, the Prospects run every aspect of the theater--from concession stand to landscaping. She described the running of the theater as a model of inefficiency---everything takes a little more work than necessary to ensure the necessity of more job opportunities.&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We talked to her about AAC and Maya showed her Mini. Val excitedly led us to a mosaic on the second floor that she had created as a communication/conversational piece. Embedded among the colorful pieces are a variety of images and objects---and the purpose of the piece is to serve as a communication starter. She talked about how communication pressure could be lifted when two people approached the piece together---and that by simply following the lead of whatever a person gravitated toward or commented on, a communication partner could easily get to know someone better and find common interests.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One side of the piece</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIf_pTTHNVs/V5AoRBcNQPI/AAAAAAAAFv8/Qzv5f-PVRRYMjOEzuvrZcFrQtJYGZFjoACLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VIf_pTTHNVs/V5AoRBcNQPI/AAAAAAAAFv8/Qzv5f-PVRRYMjOEzuvrZcFrQtJYGZFjoACLcB/s640/FullSizeRender%2B35.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i>image is of a brightly colored (blues and greens, mostly) mosaic that is the size and shape of a &nbsp;fireplace</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">A close up: I spy Santa Claus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QNoconR6-xw/V5AoWbJOwmI/AAAAAAAAFwA/0NTxszzg0mwROsO_mXOri_UyjnpVL3aeQCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QNoconR6-xw/V5AoWbJOwmI/AAAAAAAAFwA/0NTxszzg0mwROsO_mXOri_UyjnpVL3aeQCLcB/s400/FullSizeRender%2B38.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i>image is a close-up section of the mosaic, with a picture of Santa's face in the middle and the words "yes I can" spelled out in letter tiles</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">There's Val's hot pink car</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NgvlHhvsaPc/V5AoYeHsmTI/AAAAAAAAFwE/ETVZzQ8zrDINRbNbpC86cE65gOCCmfXmQCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NgvlHhvsaPc/V5AoYeHsmTI/AAAAAAAAFwE/ETVZzQ8zrDINRbNbpC86cE65gOCCmfXmQCLcB/s400/FullSizeRender%2B36.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>image is a close-up of another section of the mosaic, featuring a bright pink matchbox-style car</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, art as a communication support. How brilliant is that?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Eventually it was time to leave (we had lunch at a great spot within walking distance, fyi). Before we left we asked Val what the theater needed most---and the answer surprised us: it needs more patrons and more publicity. More folks walking through the door to see movies. I imagine that more special events, more birthday (and other) parties, more people stopping by to get coffee or buy a t-shirt would also be very welcome. BUT WAIT---if you're too far away to stop by regularly (or ever), you can still support their mission. &nbsp;And it's easy to do!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First, follow the Prospector Theater on social media. Even if you don't live close to the theater, someone that you know might live close by. Or someone that you know may like or share the information with someone that they know who lives nearby. So, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theprospectorridgefield/">click here to like their Facebook page</a>, and then go click "like" on a few recent posts. When you see them post stuff, like it (it doesn't matter if you like whatever movie is being promoted, you're clicking like to support their mission . . . although honestly they show all of the best current movies. Plus they're showing <i>Goonies</i> and <i>ET</i> this summer. <i><b>Goonies</b></i> and <i><b>ET</b></i>, people.) &nbsp;That should get the FB algorithm to bump it onto a few of your friend's feeds, and to show you some of their upcoming posts. You can also find them <a href="https://twitter.com/prospectorct">on Twitter (here),</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prospectortheater/">Instagram (here)</a>, and probably on other social media spots that I'm too old/out-of-the-loop enough to know about (what's a "snapchat"?). &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next, share the heck out of this.Share this post, or&nbsp;<a href="http://www.prospectortheater.org/">the theater's website.</a> &nbsp;More people should know about this place, and there should be more places like this.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also, if you're within a reasonable distance, go see some movies. As I mentioned, it's about an hour's drive for us---but a pretty drive. In the fall it must be stunning. The theaters are beautiful and underpopulated, and there are multiple meal options within a block or two. Take a drive and make a day/night of it. (Or, if you're not within driving distance, do you know someone who is? <a href="http://www.prospectortheater.org/gift-cards/">Be a stellar friend and buy them a gift card.)</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, the Prospector can host events---they have private party space. Do you know businesses looking for unique event space? Or people looking for a cool spot to host something? Or a unique birthday party idea? Here it is.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We can't wait to go back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maya, the flier she was reading about upcoming events, and Val</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--2JBfSa6gB0/V5AxjgeacuI/AAAAAAAAFwU/G-DbUyvSE3c3L-TExtAHEJQXIi0qGA6pwCLcB/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--2JBfSa6gB0/V5AxjgeacuI/AAAAAAAAFwU/G-DbUyvSE3c3L-TExtAHEJQXIi0qGA6pwCLcB/s640/FullSizeRender%2B39.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>image is Maya standing next to Val, who is kneeling. They are jointly holding a flier with this week's movie offerings. The wooden risers of the lobby are behind them.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Again, not sponsored in any way--no goods or services have been provided to me. We (happily) bought tickets, concessions, and a t-shirt, and we had never spoken to anyone at the theater prior to today.&nbsp;</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>*description and statistic taken from the theater's website and promotional flier</i></div><div><br /></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-25088432922744133812016-01-14T11:46:00.000-05:002016-01-14T12:07:56.145-05:00The Wins Between Our Losses<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You know when times are kind of challenging, but you’re fighting the good fight, and then some things start to go right and you win a few small victories, and you feel pretty good about yourself? When you see memes like this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a-Yg6VF019I/VpbwK7nCT9I/AAAAAAAAFpI/IdNsBZLphSE/s1600/quote-life-is-like_7648-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a-Yg6VF019I/VpbwK7nCT9I/AAAAAAAAFpI/IdNsBZLphSE/s320/quote-life-is-like_7648-2.png" width="320" /></a><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_751841770"></span><span id="goog_751841771"></span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esyJ2pJk9YI/VpbwKjnJrmI/AAAAAAAAFo8/kiFZx7mcXjo/s1600/Play%2Bthe%2Bhand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-esyJ2pJk9YI/VpbwKjnJrmI/AAAAAAAAFo8/kiFZx7mcXjo/s1600/Play%2Bthe%2Bhand.jpg" /></a><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;. . . and think “Yeah, that’s right! I’m not giving up, I’m not discouraged, and I’m playing the hell out of my hand right now!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This post is not for you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(not right now, anyway)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Go enjoy your victories. &nbsp;Celebrate them, roll around in them, delight in the fact that your skill and cleverness in playing your hand has pulled the chips in your direction. You are fantastic! You are working hard and it’s paying off! You deserve the breaks you’re getting! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(But maybe bookmark this for later. Not that I’m suggesting that this lucky streak is bound to end or anything, but, well, you know, life.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The rest of you, the ones who see those memes right now and roll your eyes, or mutter to yourself, or narrowly resist the urge to click this window closed and quit reading this. . . this is for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s talk about poker.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, poker. The card game. Texas Hold’em, to be specific. For those reading who may not be card players, I offer a (very simple) overview to the game: Each player is dealt two cards (which are kept secret from the other players) and five communal cards are dealt face up to the table (in baby steps: 3 first, then 1, then the final card). Each player makes the best 5 card poker hand that they can (they must use their two “pocket” cards, and can use any three of the shared cards on the table). So if we consider this image below, the person seated across the table has pocket Ace-King, and their final hand would be two pairs, kings and tens (ace, king of spades, king of diamonds, ten of spades, ten of clubs). The player seated closer to use would have a full house, the winning hand (king-clubs, king-hearts, king-diamonds, ten-spades, ten-clubs). Got it?&nbsp;</span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kiwcrptY1m0/VpbwyE3oLGI/AAAAAAAAFpM/34nLSQwmf7Q/s1600/sample%2Bhand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kiwcrptY1m0/VpbwyE3oLGI/AAAAAAAAFpM/34nLSQwmf7Q/s400/sample%2Bhand.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Poker, a game that requires skill and intelligence, but also incorporates chance, is a pretty solid parallel for many aspects of life. Almost all of the aspects, really, if you’re willing to think outside the box and really stretch your metaphor-making muscles. I’m going to narrow my view to special needs/AAC parenting, but if you think a bit wider the points that I’m about to make can apply pretty broadly. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you’re new to the world of AAC, you are a new poker player. You have found yourself with a seat in an upcoming tournament, and there’s no backing out. You’ve never played before . . . actually, until yesterday you had never even heard of the game. So now what?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You read and research. You watch YouTube videos of other players, read poker blogs, and lurk in online forums where strategy and game play are discussed and analyzed. You learn the odds, and how to play in a way that will optimize the likelihood of your success. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then the day of the tournament arrives, and it’s time to play. You’ve put in your time researching, and you know the best practices of playing poker. You have learned from the work of some of the top players in the field, and you are ready to get in the game. When the tournament director calls “Shuffle up and deal!” you are nervous, but confident. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You play conservatively at first. You fold a few hands, kind of hanging back. You’re in the game, but you’re starting slow, watching and learning. At the start of the next hand you check your pocket cards and see a pair of aces (it doesn’t get better than that, folks). You have the cards that you need and you know how you should play them. You bet smartly. Other players fold, and you are left facing only one opponent, who has pushed all in (bet all of her chips). You both turn over your cards and see this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8DoYONuVG5I/Vpb2Ofxx2hI/AAAAAAAAFpc/kTxtWK_siTI/s1600/IMG_2538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8DoYONuVG5I/Vpb2Ofxx2hI/AAAAAAAAFpc/kTxtWK_siTI/s320/IMG_2538.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: #fefefe;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You have a pair of aces, your opponent has ace-ten. The likelihood of you winning this hand is 92%. &nbsp;</span></span><span style="background-color: #fefefe;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s time for the communal cards to be dealt. First the flop:</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hoP1_246sZc/Vpb2OaD1ONI/AAAAAAAAFpg/XeOijCIXKEo/s1600/IMG_2539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hoP1_246sZc/Vpb2OaD1ONI/AAAAAAAAFpg/XeOijCIXKEo/s320/IMG_2539.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: #fefefe;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now you have 3 aces, while your opponent only has a pair of aces. The likelihood of you winning this hand is 98%. The next card is dealt:</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: #FEFEFE; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LcHSfeUV8Uk/Vpb2OXkK4CI/AAAAAAAAFpk/oExNPb1_pCs/s1600/IMG_2540.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LcHSfeUV8Uk/Vpb2OXkK4CI/AAAAAAAAFpk/oExNPb1_pCs/s320/IMG_2540.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's still 3 aces vs. a pair of aces. The likelihood of you winning is 91%. Final card:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KZ7fyLCAvc0/Vpb2PCIxawI/AAAAAAAAFp4/YNg9mRUe2Es/s1600/IMG_2541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KZ7fyLCAvc0/Vpb2PCIxawI/AAAAAAAAFp4/YNg9mRUe2Es/s320/IMG_2541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You end the game with 3 aces while your opponent has beat the (formerly staggering) odds and has a straight (ten, jack, queen, king, ace).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You lose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You had the right cards, you played smartly and boldly, you made the same correct decisions that anyone in your position would have made, and you lost anyway. Because, in poker, sometimes you lose anyway.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fO4so9Rju1s/Vpb3OkuGSFI/AAAAAAAAFqA/kGdLZkPnBSs/s1600/If%2Byou%2Bplay%2Bthe%2Bcards%2Bmeme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fO4so9Rju1s/Vpb3OkuGSFI/AAAAAAAAFqA/kGdLZkPnBSs/s400/If%2Byou%2Bplay%2Bthe%2Bcards%2Bmeme.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a game in which a poor hand can, indeed, be played well and triumph in the end.&nbsp; But it’s also a game in which you can play your heart out---skillfully and cleverly and artfully---and then get beat. Beat from behind, beat by a hand that was overwhelmingly favored to lose, beat badly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, this is called a <b>bad beat</b>. A bad beat is a situation in which you have the cards that mathematically should have won, but they didn’t. It’s almost like the term a “bad break” but also fundamentally different : a bad break is something that you haven’t worked for and that occurs totally by chance. For example, if I know that Maya needs an AAC evaluation and I’m hoping that we are assigned Sarah (who is fantastic) but we are assigned Britney (who is awful), that’s a bad break. But if, during the evaluation, I present Britney with 40 pages of research about why I think a certain system would be most appropriate, and I have letters from doctors and therapists to support my ask, and Maya can demonstrate competency on the desired system, but Britney chooses to ignore this information and recommend something different? That’s a bad beat. I worked shrewdly and tenaciously to make all of the right moves, and I should have been successful, and I got beat. A bad break feels unfortunate, a bad beat feels unfair.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Foot-stompingly, heart-breakingly, tears-of-frustration unfair. Upend the table, send the chips skittering across the floor, and quit the game unfair.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So then what? What happens after a bad beat? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Or, to take it over to AAC, what happens when you are pretty certain that you have the “right” AAC system and the “right” implementation strategies, and you’re not having success? What happens when you are targeting motivating and meaningful vocabulary, when you are modeling skillfully and often, when you are keeping things light and fun and positive, and your child seems uninterested or unable to participate? What happens when you see and hear other families with the same materials that you have, making the same implementation decisions that you are making, and they are sharing win after win, while you aren’t winning at all?&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You keep playing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you need to, you sit out a hand. If you have trouble not taking it personally (because you’re new to the game or because you’ve had a string of bad beats recently and it’s just. so. hard.) then you take a walk and have a cry or punch a wall or something. And then you sit back down and ante up. And you play.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And before I talk about why you keep playing, and how to recenter your mindset a bit, I’ll let you in on a secret. That bad beat hand that I described above, the one with the pocket aces? That really happened (mostly, anyway-I simplified the intro a bit, but the cards are real). Watch the whole thing unfold below:</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KYSRmTgqTY0?rel=0" width="480"></iframe></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve watched this video an embarrassing number of times. At first I just enjoyed the shock and chaos after that king landed. Then I watched again to see Annie Duke’s celebration and apologies (if only life’s bad beats came with a “you don’t deserve that” acknowledgement and an apology). And then, I watched again, several times, and focused on Paul Wasicka. The loser. The victim of a big, bad beat. After the crowd quiets a little the camera swings over to him, sitting and smiling, and he speaks. Did you catch what he said?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s not over yet.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);">It’s not over yet</span></i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"> comes easily to some people, myself included. I’m generally stubborn and sure-footed, more likely to stand my ground and fight back than to retreat and lick my wounds. But his demeanor, the zen-ish, probably-a-little-shaken-but-also-doing-just-fine smile . . .that does not come easily. When I see someone try something that I’ve suggested, to be met with greater success than I myself am having, little seeds of jealously, anxiety, self-doubt, and frustration sprout and take root.&nbsp; If I don’t complain aloud, I certainly complain internally.&nbsp; (Shockingly, this complaining does nothing to improve my situation.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To recenter and move forward in the most clear-headed, non-emotional way possible, let’s consider this tag-team quote, which comes from Howard Lederer and Annie Duke (siblings and professional poker players).&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ApOHXqRhHX4/Vpb5Wn8NVFI/AAAAAAAAFqM/o1fEmssCOBk/s1600/Lederer%2B%2526%2BDuke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ApOHXqRhHX4/Vpb5Wn8NVFI/AAAAAAAAFqM/o1fEmssCOBk/s400/Lederer%2B%2526%2BDuke.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First, let’s take a look at that “<i>If”</i>because, in our shoes, &nbsp;it’s an important word. When recovering from a bad beat, it makes sense to analyze your play. Step back and self-evaluate: are you really applying best practices? Is there anything that you could have done differently? After your self-analysis, reach out for help (or just for confirmation). Call on someone who is more experienced and has a generally good degree of success, and ask for their input. Are you using the correct materials, and the correct approach? Is there anything that you need to adjust? &nbsp;Walk your way around that “if” and examine it from every angle until you’re sure enough to stomp it down.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now you’re left with “You’re making good decisions.” Yes. You are making good decisions. You suspected it to be true, and any doubts that may have sprouted after the bad beat have been stomped back down with expert confirmation (or you’ve made appropriate revisions to optimize the correctness of your decisions). In the game of poker, some things are left to chance. In AAC implementation there is a large amount chance, due to about a hundred variables that are just not in our control. The oscillating health of the AAC users that we are supporting, fatigue, sensory and attention challenges, access challenges, sporadic interest, environmental issues, lack of consistent support at school, and other things that we probably don't even perceive . . . we can work our best to understand the elements at play and seek to minimize the chance associated with these factors, but we cannot control these things. What we can control is the decisions that we personally make about implementation, advocacy, and support. And although you may not have much to show for it right now, you are making winning decisions. The best thing for you to do is keep playing. Which brings us to this:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WkX_zTTAqI/Vpb5jwPIiRI/AAAAAAAAFqU/vyhbdRsEMEw/s1600/Annie%2Bduke%2Bquote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--WkX_zTTAqI/Vpb5jwPIiRI/AAAAAAAAFqU/vyhbdRsEMEw/s400/Annie%2Bduke%2Bquote.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are playing the long game, folks. In poker, in life, in advocating for our children, in implementing an AAC system and supporting autonomous communication . . . the game is long. We cannot expect that each day (week, month, year) will feel victorious. I would guess that poker players who expect to win every hand are more likely to be shaken by a loss, while those who take their seats expecting to play several winning and several losing hands will have an easier time brushing one off and moving forward. In the video clip above, Paul Wasicka actually says “It’s not over” twice: once before the flop, when he had a 92% chance of winning the hand . . . and again after he lost. He’s playing the long game. He knows that the loss of this hand, while currently crushing, won’t matter at all if he’s able to win the overall game. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">AAC implementation is a long, long game. After system selection, acquisition, and initial programming come exposure, motivation, modeling, enticing, teaching, supporting, modifying, and more programming. There is no shortage of language goals, either, with expanding vocabulary, expanding utterance length, targeting the many functions of speech, moving up the hierarchy of grammar, etc. There is always another thing-to-be-considered, there is always another hand to play.&nbsp; And progress . . . it’s often inconsistent, slow, or unpredictable. We spent years (literally, years) modeling spontaneous, complete sentences without seeing similar production from Maya, until one Tuesday night, when suddenly she was creating spontaneous complete sentences. <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/05/knowing-vs-showing.html">On that night, as I listened in awe</a>, I no longer cared one bit about the three years of not hearing long, spontaneous sentences. I didn’t lament the time and effort that I had put in, or the months that we suffered the repeated bad beat of zero “progress” despite smart decisions and concerted effort. That night we won an important hand and collected&nbsp;a huge pot (the “pot” is the sum of the chips bet during a hand.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s talk about the pot for a moment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A poker game will be comprised of many hands and the size of the pot will vary each hand (depending on how many people play the hand and how much they choose to bet). When a player is deciding to play a hand, they ideally create a mental ratio by comparing the pot size to the size of the bet that they need to stay in the game (this is called <i>pot odds</i>). (This is a little mathy, but stick with me, I’ll rephrase.) Generally speaking, if your odds of winning the hand are greater than or equal to the pot odds, you should stay in the game. Here’s a simple explanation from my statistician friend:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you have a 20% of winning your current hand, you would expect to make your hand 20% of the time, or one in 5 hands. If the pot odds don't suggest you would recoup your money in 5 hands, you wouldn't consider it worth the bet.</span></span></i></span></div><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe;">In plain, non-numerical language, Annie Duke explains it like this, “The amount of the pot determines how sure you have to be that your hand is good.” As the size of the potential bounty increases, compared to a relatively small amount to risk, the more mathematically encouraged you are to play. Because you are paying in so little and standing to win so much, you can win only very occasionally and still break even or move ahead. For example, if it costs $10 to stay in a hand and you stand to win $100 in the pot, you could lose nine consecutive hands (-$90), win the tenth (+$90: the $100 pot minus your $10 bet), and break even. You could lose 90% of the time in that scenario and still be in decent shape. Ninety percent! That means that losing anything less than 90% of the time will have you actually increasing your chip pool over the course of the long game, slowly but surely. </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe;">&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe;">If it doesn’t cost much to stay in the game and the pot is very large, your hand doesn’t have to be all that strong for it to make sense to play.</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The wins between our losses just have to be big enough to keep us moving forward.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(And we have to stay in the game and believe that a win will come, eventually.)</i></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In considering AAC implementation, the pots tied to each hand are pretty damn large.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spontaneous, autonomous communication. Speaking to anyone, anywhere, about anything. Making jokes, being bossy, tattling, directing, asking questions, commanding, requesting, teasing, sharing feelings, telling stories, self-advocating, having access to all of the words. If you were silenced tomorrow, how much would it be worth to you to regain your ability to communicate? The pot is huge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The bet isn’t that big. It’s showing up, modeling, continuing to learn about AAC. It’s practicing our implementation and advocating for more people in our children’s lives to use AAC with them. It’s teaching our teachers and therapists about total communication. It’s tiring. But it’s not a large bet, compared to what our children stand to win. (Yes, our children.) Because as personal as this feels, we’re not really the ones who truly have chips on the line.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We’re all playing as proxies. I sit at the table and play for Maya, because she’s not yet able to play for herself. I’ve learned the game to play in her place, until she might be able to take the seat herself, to direct her own AAC use and the support that she needs to continue increasing her skills and fluency. While I am emotionally tied to her winnings and losses, I have nothing on the line. I’m playing with her chips, trying to manage them as best I can. It’s a huge responsibility. I am doubly crushed by bad beats---once, selfishly, in a <i>“but I’m doing everything that I’m supposed to do and this isn’t fair!”</i> way, and then again in an “<i>I’m sorry, Maya, I’m trying my best and we’re not winning right now.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not right now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But maybe in this next hand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shuffle up and deal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41HY_rJQewg/VpfDBJG6xaI/AAAAAAAAFqo/qsrXa4Yegc4/s1600/IMG_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-41HY_rJQewg/VpfDBJG6xaI/AAAAAAAAFqo/qsrXa4Yegc4/s640/IMG_2546.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: #FEFEFE; font-family: &quot;Arial&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Related Links</u><br /><a href="http://www.radiolab.org/story/278173-dealing-doubt/">Dealing with Doubt:</a> Radiolab podcast segment that introduced me to the concepts of bad beats and pot odds.<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC5yavIrfRE">Big Think interview with Annie Duke</a><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div></span></span></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-19217848004473704622015-12-28T07:40:00.000-05:002015-12-29T18:12:35.002-05:00A New Year's AAC Modeling Resolution (with printable and social networking)Happy almost 2016!<br /><br />With the new year often comes a renewed energy to tackle new projects, or to re-tackle old ones. And what better project to focus on than modeling for the AAC users in our lives? We all know that it's the most important thing that we can do to support people who are learning to use (or learning to master) AAC &nbsp;(supported by both anecdotal evidence and by research) and yet <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/08/21-days-of-aac-challenge.html">sometimes it's hard to make it work</a>. It takes time, it can feel awkward (if you're struggling to find words), and it can be overwhelming (what to model? how many words? how often? etc).<br /><br />But you have to do it. You just have to.<br /><br />So do I.<br /><br />Over the summer <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/21-days-of-aac-challenge-whole-thing.html">I hosted a modeling challenge that was great</a>---I learned &nbsp;things, Maya gained a bunch of new words, my fluency increased dramatically, and I became so used to having a talker with me that it actually felt strange when I didn't have it nearby.<br /><br />But I couldn't keep it going.<br /><br />Like many other abandoned projects (or resolutions), a few off-kilter days turned into a few non-attempted days and then it just slipped away. The thing about a few bad days is that they make it hard to remember how good the good days were---how many days you had worked hard for, the effort that you put in.<br /><br />You know what makes things easier to remember? Data. (Oh man, I love data.)<br /><br />Resolutions (and other projects) are much more likely to stick if there is some sort of data being tracked. Some sort of check-in. Something that keeps you accountable, and also serves as a confirmation that you are working on something---you have goals. You are doing big things. You are awesome. The tricky thing about the data collection is that it needs to very carefully balance between being-meaningful-enough-to-really-collect-data and not-being-a-lot-of-work-because-really.<br /><br />So here's my proposal: we (re)commit to modeling, and we collect data. We do it in a way that will yield real accountability (and information), yet also won't be that taxing. I've made some data forms (which you can download, at no charge). &nbsp;Here we go:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b><u>The Tracker</u></b><br /><b><u><br /></u></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ckeltneSlA/VoCZrPMFTqI/AAAAAAAAFnU/itfoHKmic3c/s1600/Base%2Bversion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ckeltneSlA/VoCZrPMFTqI/AAAAAAAAFnU/itfoHKmic3c/s640/Base%2Bversion.png" width="640" /></a></div><b><u><br /></u></b><b>Components:&nbsp;</b><br /><br /><ul><li>Daily tracker grid</li><li>Week in Review summary chart</li><li>"New Stuff" comments box</li><li>Reflection comments box</li><li>Month in Review summary chart</li><li>Monthly reflection box</li><li>Monthly goals box</li></ul><div><b>How to use:</b>&nbsp;This is really simple, guys, but I'm going to go ahead and break it down, because why not.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 1:</u>&nbsp;Fill in the month (blue box) and the week (purple box) and print the tracker. The document has 5 weekly trackers built in for each month (it's a 3 page document).&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EasOkQ-rQwc/VoCZ5mpydYI/AAAAAAAAFnc/lfoVoIDDnNw/s1600/1-dates.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EasOkQ-rQwc/VoCZ5mpydYI/AAAAAAAAFnc/lfoVoIDDnNw/s400/1-dates.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 2:</u>&nbsp;At the end of each day, select the appropriate face/rating to reflect your modeling that day (in the blue box).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HEcYGTexLvw/VoCaUd3lHsI/AAAAAAAAFno/PfntawWosYU/s1600/2-tracker%2Bcharts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HEcYGTexLvw/VoCaUd3lHsI/AAAAAAAAFno/PfntawWosYU/s400/2-tracker%2Bcharts.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's how to choose:</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><ul><li>0/Sad face = It just didn't happen. I didn't touch a talker today.</li><li>1/Neutral face = I touched a talker, but not for long. Minimal modeling.</li><li>2/Happy face = I did it! It was a good modeling day!</li><li>3/Celebration face = I am a modeling superstar!&nbsp;</li></ul><div>Pick the face matches that matches your modeling that day (important: this is about <u style="font-weight: bold;">your</u>&nbsp;modeling, not about your child's interest or AAC use---just rate yourself) and circle it or shade it in. That's it! That's the only daily tracking commitment that you have--it takes about 4 seconds.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 2.5:</u>&nbsp;Yeah, I said 2.5. The next step is to shade in the "Week in Review" chart(the purple box). It makes a little bar graph to summarize how many days you spent in each 0/1/2/3 rating zone. You can either do this on a daily basis or at the end of the week (which is why it's Step 2.5).&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 3:</u>&nbsp;Use the notes boxes. The first box (blue) can be used to track words that you add, combinations or skills that you're targeting, etc. The second box (purple) is a great spot to keep track of victories or failures, make notes about your child's use, etc. You can write in these daily, or at the end of the week. If you need more space, use the back of the page (I recommend printing one-sided to allow for this).&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eQnqBT_sc1Y/VoCdCN-cioI/AAAAAAAAFnw/ND304pdpS_k/s1600/3-notes%2Bareas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eQnqBT_sc1Y/VoCdCN-cioI/AAAAAAAAFnw/ND304pdpS_k/s400/3-notes%2Bareas.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's an example of what a completed two weeks could look like:&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8dPJd5J6RI/VoCYR37hsOI/AAAAAAAAFnM/5qneigtwjdM/s1600/2015_12_27_20_57_23-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8dPJd5J6RI/VoCYR37hsOI/AAAAAAAAFnM/5qneigtwjdM/s640/2015_12_27_20_57_23-page-001.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 4:</u>&nbsp;At the end of the month, fill in the "Month in Review" chart. Then write a few reflections on the month, and set a few goals for the month ahead. Here's a sample of what that could look like:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KoM-n69--o8/VoCfTaC2iSI/AAAAAAAAFn8/TIfrHNMsTh4/s1600/2015_12_27_20_58_11-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KoM-n69--o8/VoCfTaC2iSI/AAAAAAAAFn8/TIfrHNMsTh4/s640/2015_12_27_20_58_11-page-001.jpg" width="492" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div><b style="text-decoration: underline;">Step 5:</b>&nbsp;Check in on Facebook. There are a few ways to increase your odds of sticking with a resolution: data tracking is one way (check!) and involving friends/community is another. Let's build a community of AAC family members, friends, and professionals who are committed to daily modeling and data tracking. At a minimum, I will put up a weekly modeling check-in (every Friday morning) on our FB page (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Uncommon-Sense-Blog-123130417730793/">Uncommon Sense Blog</a>), and you can share your successes, questions, struggles, and photos of that week's tracker :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><u>Tips/Tricks:</u></b></div><div><ul><li>Hang this somewhere that you're going to be confronted with it. I'm taping mine to the cabinet where I keep our daily medicines---unavoidable. I may even tape a pen on a string next to it (kidding-not-kidding).&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li>For the first month, your only job is to write on this paper everyday. That's it. If you shade in the "0/Sad face" boxes every day for the first month, you are a success. You have followed through. You have tracked the worst month you will ever track, and you will move on from there. But write on the darn sheet, no matter what. The first month is, at a minimum, about getting AAC modeling on your mind on a &nbsp;daily basis---even if the interaction is "Oh man, I really need to up my modeling game."</li></ul><ul><li>If you are a January resolution zealot, go with it. Take copious notes. Fill the back of the modeling sheet with details about each day. Staple extra pages to the packet. And know that if you run out of steam some day, and start simply circling that day's face, you are no less successful than you were when you were taking all-of-the-notes.</li></ul><ul><li>It's not accidental that this is collecting pretty minimal data. I wanted the effort to be low enough that any beginner-to-AAC, or any not-really-a-beginner-but-SO-busy-communication-partner, could get started without hesitation. I expect that some people will find this to be simplistic. I'm ready for that. Let's use this for a month or two, trade ideas about what's working and not working, and roll out another version in February/March if it feels necessary. Or, if you decide to make an alternate version, share it in one of our Friday posts. If this works for you, stick with it. Whatever works is awesome.</li></ul></div><br />Let's do this.<br /><br />First,<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRUGd0YTBHb3M2T2M/view?usp=sharing"> download the tracking document here </a>(by the way, the preview on Google docs looks sloppy, but the formatting corrects itself when you download the document). &nbsp;(Edited to add: Mac users, the formatting won't work for you. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRNl8tTnJCY01zbWs/view?usp=sharing">Download the Mac friendly version here</a>---you'll have to write in "week one" etc in the margin, I couldn't get vertical boxes to work!)Also, if you want to download the directions/rubric/samples included in this post, I've made a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRdXBGUHBYY0tseHM/view?usp=sharing">downloaded document that you can get here.&nbsp;</a><br /><br />Next, come on over to the Facebook page on Friday (Jan 1) and say hello to your fellow resolutioners. (You can also come by now and say hello on the getting-started thread---but I'll make sure to have a let's-go-do-this post on Friday morning.)<br /><br />Last, embrace your awesomeness.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sUaK6zorQnA/VoCqloeLTiI/AAAAAAAAFoM/NACtAcZe21c/s1600/NYE%2Bpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sUaK6zorQnA/VoCqloeLTiI/AAAAAAAAFoM/NACtAcZe21c/s320/NYE%2Bpic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">Modeling posts to get you started:</span><br /><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-started-with-meaningful-modeling.html">Getting Started With Meaningful Modeling</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/take-look-tuesday-aided-language.html">Some modeling videos!</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.speakforyourself.org/2014/01/26/simon-says-model-one-word/">Simon Says: Model One More Word</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/more-resources-monday-aided-language.html">More Modeling Resources</a></span></div><br /><br />&nbsp; <br /><br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-67056756619327184982015-10-30T05:53:00.001-04:002015-10-30T07:51:27.360-04:00AAC Family Friday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>&nbsp;Here it is, the final installment of AAC Family pictures, in honor of AAC Awareness Month!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v3apfuAB22A/VjK9PEnQrdI/AAAAAAAAFg4/s5rjnAbgaYM/s1600/Talker-First%2Bouting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v3apfuAB22A/VjK9PEnQrdI/AAAAAAAAFg4/s5rjnAbgaYM/s400/Talker-First%2Bouting.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lily Grace, age 6, has been using a paper-based PODD book for some time. This weekend, she went on her first outing with her talker (iPad mini with the Compass w/ PODD app)! &nbsp;(cont. below)</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EcgyPS4Fyms/VjK9O9aXHoI/AAAAAAAAFg8/UvIluAKFzIQ/s1600/Talker-Lets%2Bgo%2Bhome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EcgyPS4Fyms/VjK9O9aXHoI/AAAAAAAAFg8/UvIluAKFzIQ/s400/Talker-Lets%2Bgo%2Bhome.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #222222; text-align: start;">She had a lot to say during our trip, including letting us know when she wanted to nosh and when she was ready to head home!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pgRTey4Um_0/VjK89Xz8nII/AAAAAAAAFf8/LRq2-m2l1cA/s1600/DSCF8292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pgRTey4Um_0/VjK89Xz8nII/AAAAAAAAFf8/LRq2-m2l1cA/s400/DSCF8292.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We were out for dinner and Cady's dad was attempting to do some modelling. Apparently he was taking too long, as she pulled the talker closer to her and turned it away from him. You can see she's still holding on to it to make sure he doesn't take it back. :) It's great to see her taking ownership of her voice!&nbsp;</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsJaPrsW4TM/VjK9COPRTrI/AAAAAAAAFgs/mzRcPxgcAnU/s1600/h%2527s%2B5th%2Bbirthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsJaPrsW4TM/VjK9COPRTrI/AAAAAAAAFgs/mzRcPxgcAnU/s400/h%2527s%2B5th%2Bbirthday.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isaac (age 5) enjoying a friend's birthday party at Pump It Up (indoor bouncy house).&nbsp; Bouncing with the talker wasn't really an option, but once we sat down for cupcakes Isaac couldn't stop saying how "good" everything was ("good cake"&nbsp; "good birthday candles"), which is high praise (and great progress for him) since he doesn't comment unprompted very often.&nbsp; He also used the talker to request a drink and select which color of balloon he wanted (in addition to some babbling).&nbsp;</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3l397KocrvE/VjK8_FsQr2I/AAAAAAAAFgg/P8aP2EXWmw8/s1600/image1%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3l397KocrvE/VjK8_FsQr2I/AAAAAAAAFgg/P8aP2EXWmw8/s400/image1%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="223" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charlie, PODD user extraordinaire from Nottingham UK, commenting on YouTube on not one, but two talkers!</span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7wVml9lBRdk/VjK89QFPq4I/AAAAAAAAFgA/Ki_ZlPMy2FU/s1600/IMG_7549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7wVml9lBRdk/VjK89QFPq4I/AAAAAAAAFgA/Ki_ZlPMy2FU/s400/IMG_7549.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Here are Reuben and Louisa chilling on the couch with Reuben's talker (an iPad mini with Speak for Yourself) and his medal from kiddie bike race over the weekend. Louisa's outfit is due to "mismatch day" at her daycare.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5Cgedtfxzk/VjK8-EX8JzI/AAAAAAAAFgI/33NXHsZmUeA/s1600/PODD%2Bchat%2Bautumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5Cgedtfxzk/VjK8-EX8JzI/AAAAAAAAFgI/33NXHsZmUeA/s400/PODD%2Bchat%2Bautumn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Anna, from the Netherlands, using PODD. Anna's mom has this to share:&nbsp;</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because I'm trying to promote AAC in The Netherlands I have made a movie with my daughter using PODD. Just want to tell people that you can use AAC everywhere. We need to carry the AAC everywhere with us. We had days that Anna will not say a thing when we were out but we also have days when she is just reaching at it to just make a short comment.&nbsp;</span></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because I'm Romanian I have made also an English version of the movie. see link below</span></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ilwmahdyq70yrt/PODD%20talking%20ENG.wmv?dl=0">https://www.dropbox.com/s/<wbr></wbr>7ilwmahdyq70yrt/PODD%<wbr></wbr>20talking%20ENG.wmv?dl=0</a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FyYH4NZynDU/VjK89qMlJdI/AAAAAAAAFgc/C8sjtI1UQaM/s1600/20151025_171012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FyYH4NZynDU/VjK89qMlJdI/AAAAAAAAFgc/C8sjtI1UQaM/s400/20151025_171012.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roo the butterfly babbling on Speak for Yourself while eating pizza!</span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lmQ-M2s-r4Q/VjK8-T7jFcI/AAAAAAAAFgk/wXXxhqkpRbM/s1600/image1%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lmQ-M2s-r4Q/VjK8-T7jFcI/AAAAAAAAFgk/wXXxhqkpRbM/s400/image1%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Meeting celebrities:&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Felix has graduated from AAC because Speak For Yourself helped him find his voice. Thank you Heidi and Renee.&nbsp;</span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wl9oD1zH4Ho/VjK9cyDu62I/AAAAAAAAFhE/8XqVDlNZ0KE/s1600/FullSizeRender-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wl9oD1zH4Ho/VjK9cyDu62I/AAAAAAAAFhE/8XqVDlNZ0KE/s400/FullSizeRender-1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Aidan and his Dad make a great team on game night. (cont. below)</span></span></i></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Sx18jFx9v4/VjK9c37kxCI/AAAAAAAAFhI/RCvqd6fMmzk/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2Sx18jFx9v4/VjK9c37kxCI/AAAAAAAAFhI/RCvqd6fMmzk/s400/FullSizeRender.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>&nbsp;This was the perfect no expectations moment for modeling as Aidan was really excited to roll the dice! </i>See more of Aidan's story over at his mom's blog:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1635987602">&nbsp;</a></span></span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://familysynapse.com/">http://familysynapse.com</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SMDMPvu-Dqw/VjK9qEQG1MI/AAAAAAAAFhU/hEyyUMJ6k6M/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SMDMPvu-Dqw/VjK9qEQG1MI/AAAAAAAAFhU/hEyyUMJ6k6M/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25286%2529.jpg" width="383" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Lemmy using Speak for Yourself on an iPad, being held by a modular hose stand.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AUefn9hz4EM/VjK9qCF5PnI/AAAAAAAAFhY/MMxhLxSZ2rs/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AUefn9hz4EM/VjK9qCF5PnI/AAAAAAAAFhY/MMxhLxSZ2rs/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25287%2529.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lemmy shopping in target with speak for yourself on the iPad. He was tired of shopping.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6629uHcaHLU/VjK9yJynDFI/AAAAAAAAFhw/xh0ArrCK-H4/s1600/IMG_0206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6629uHcaHLU/VjK9yJynDFI/AAAAAAAAFhw/xh0ArrCK-H4/s400/IMG_0206.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dinner time conversation with papa. I feel so lucky to look across the dinner table at these two!</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Slu8UZc-so/VjK9y3ky6lI/AAAAAAAAFh0/xYpHipt3jOY/s1600/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Slu8UZc-so/VjK9y3ky6lI/AAAAAAAAFh0/xYpHipt3jOY/s400/IMG_0242.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">How's this for a casual conversation starter?&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">C has really been enjoying her 'social' pages lately. And apparently still has a bit of learning to do about the fine points of small talk.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4l08x2gwMg/VjK-H3Z4GKI/AAAAAAAAFiI/5XHgY0xETQ4/s1600/TrainRide2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4l08x2gwMg/VjK-H3Z4GKI/AAAAAAAAFiI/5XHgY0xETQ4/s400/TrainRide2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We took a train ride over the weekend. We had to stop at one point to let some more passengers on and she told us TRAIN RIDE STOP and followed it up with boisterously yelling, "[s]top, top, top!" . (cont. below)</span></i></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3llyZ8xIqZU/VjK-H-_KOII/AAAAAAAAFiE/2U9NyVtuRBk/s1600/TrainRide1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3llyZ8xIqZU/VjK-H-_KOII/AAAAAAAAFiE/2U9NyVtuRBk/s400/TrainRide1.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Later her sisters modeled BUMPY. This time she just took it in, but we know (especially with her sisters modeling) that the new vocabulary will be used soon!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E1PkxtaCFSA/VjK-Qaj7G7I/AAAAAAAAFic/rFoOvfb4huY/s1600/IMG_1774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E1PkxtaCFSA/VjK-Qaj7G7I/AAAAAAAAFic/rFoOvfb4huY/s400/IMG_1774.JPG" width="225" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Here is pirate Finn using his talker (with TouchChat) to say "Argh matey!" (cont. below)</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__gl1w0hrwQ/VjK-P40zhAI/AAAAAAAAFiU/NiXwRfYFknE/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__gl1w0hrwQ/VjK-P40zhAI/AAAAAAAAFiU/NiXwRfYFknE/s400/IMG_1775.JPG" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">And here he is looking very pleased with his success!</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wS3Z2deeFsE/VjK-XC9FTBI/AAAAAAAAFio/QE9aJy3Do14/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wS3Z2deeFsE/VjK-XC9FTBI/AAAAAAAAFio/QE9aJy3Do14/s400/image.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Parker is using Speak For Yourself on an iPad mini during a therapy session with an awesome grad student! (cont. below)</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5heZWOnZsow/VjK-XKwZ2UI/AAAAAAAAFik/59mjEwTrNAQ/s1600/image_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5heZWOnZsow/VjK-XKwZ2UI/AAAAAAAAFik/59mjEwTrNAQ/s400/image_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Parker practicing using SFY to say "Trick or Treat". This will be the first year he will be able to say it.&nbsp;</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5RSitn3EHz4/VjK-yKehTBI/AAAAAAAAFi0/riJDD6nZMaE/s1600/image1%2B%25283%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5RSitn3EHz4/VjK-yKehTBI/AAAAAAAAFi0/riJDD6nZMaE/s400/image1%2B%25283%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Ashlyn using AAC to talk/delay bedtime.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaVKYl7GrXU/VjK-y8v-RaI/AAAAAAAAFi8/3paZc9MaJ5k/s1600/image2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RaVKYl7GrXU/VjK-y8v-RaI/AAAAAAAAFi8/3paZc9MaJ5k/s400/image2.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Ashlyn with her device for a trip to the grocery store.</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cVdM99XNZF0/VjM5kSBYqaI/AAAAAAAAFjM/aGyI1NYoqpk/s1600/image2%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cVdM99XNZF0/VjM5kSBYqaI/AAAAAAAAFjM/aGyI1NYoqpk/s400/image2%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="297" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">James (5 years old) using a Tobii I-12 on our recent trip to Seattle, WA. He got to visit Pike's Market &nbsp;. . . (cont. below)</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvaKWjLZxEw/VjM5pCs-M7I/AAAAAAAAFjU/Ok4mUT91ZNw/s1600/image1%2B%25284%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yvaKWjLZxEw/VjM5pCs-M7I/AAAAAAAAFjU/Ok4mUT91ZNw/s320/image1%2B%25284%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #222222; text-align: start;">and talk about the 'flying fish' and ride on a ferry boat, to which he said LIKE LIKE LIKE.</i><br /><i style="color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QxjVJVkzfEU/VjNEyt34W8I/AAAAAAAAFj4/AbaKVXgmIJE/s1600/IMG_7092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QxjVJVkzfEU/VjNEyt34W8I/AAAAAAAAFj4/AbaKVXgmIJE/s400/IMG_7092.JPG" width="325" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is Gav using his talker as he enjoys his two favourite pastimes - eating and playing with his iPad!</span></i></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_oX8LPfjIc0/VjM7lk9pTEI/AAAAAAAAFjg/yKb7nqGIomQ/s1600/DSCF7552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_oX8LPfjIc0/VjM7lk9pTEI/AAAAAAAAFjg/yKb7nqGIomQ/s400/DSCF7552.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And here's our contribution this week! We went out to my parents' house for pumpkin carving. I don't remember what I'm modeling here, but it must have been interesting for Maya to be attending so closely! (cont. below)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ODU_lH5LZfA/VjM7oDHyuMI/AAAAAAAAFjo/86dOUZ_kTqQ/s1600/DSCF7558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ODU_lH5LZfA/VjM7oDHyuMI/AAAAAAAAFjo/86dOUZ_kTqQ/s400/DSCF7558.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And here she is telling my dad that they need to get a bucket for the pumpkin guts :)</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Thank you so much to everyone who contributed pictures this month! It's been truly delightful to see so many AAC users from around the world. At this point in our AAC journey I'm so used to seeing talkers (in our home and filling my Facebook feed) that part of me forgets that they aren't the norm, but there is still a deep part of me that responds when I see pictures of other families using AAC in their homes and communities. Happy AAC Awareness Month!</span></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-50705503813583699722015-10-23T06:25:00.000-04:002015-10-23T06:25:13.492-04:00AAC Family Friday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next week is the final AAC family week----let's make it a giant one :) You can start sending in your pictures now (and it's fall festival/Halloween time---at least in the US---lots of costume potential!) to: uncommonfeedback@gmail.com</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mWqChU_OZAo/VimAFLyKeHI/AAAAAAAAFeI/0UveCf6T7IU/s1600/20151015_122754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mWqChU_OZAo/VimAFLyKeHI/AAAAAAAAFeI/0UveCf6T7IU/s400/20151015_122754.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We are trying to keep Becca's word book nearby at all times while at home.&nbsp; That means letting it get dirty during meals.&nbsp; In this picture, she is using it to request graham crackers during lunch.</span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a3IUlMEDrlA/VimAFZKN2oI/AAAAAAAAFd8/W6Swz2i0QIc/s1600/IMG_0192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a3IUlMEDrlA/VimAFZKN2oI/AAAAAAAAFd8/W6Swz2i0QIc/s400/IMG_0192.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spot the talker! (C was 'making cookies')</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hy2pcAhAOmw/VimAHTfV5NI/AAAAAAAAFes/A6eJQuAy77g/s1600/IMG_20151014_105006590_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hy2pcAhAOmw/VimAHTfV5NI/AAAAAAAAFes/A6eJQuAy77g/s400/IMG_20151014_105006590_HDR.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doing a little talking on our dolphin watching cruise!</span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mz0OGhDcuEs/VimAGlKd4aI/AAAAAAAAFec/ln2_JAJHnAE/s1600/jessie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Mz0OGhDcuEs/VimAGlKd4aI/AAAAAAAAFec/ln2_JAJHnAE/s400/jessie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;Jess and her dad, chatting at home! Jess's mom blogs at:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.youdontsayaac.com/">http://www.youdontsayaac.com/</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AxnINBN6i5E/VimAHWEBgGI/AAAAAAAAFeo/8E5aQgwbo50/s1600/pumpkintalker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AxnINBN6i5E/VimAHWEBgGI/AAAAAAAAFeo/8E5aQgwbo50/s400/pumpkintalker.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We carved pumpkins over the weekend. The talker got a little messy, but it was so much fun!&nbsp;</span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IzpGg42NOM/VimAGSfpz1I/AAAAAAAAFeU/_dXXxVL0Ya4/s1600/WordsInTalker.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7IzpGg42NOM/VimAGSfpz1I/AAAAAAAAFeU/_dXXxVL0Ya4/s400/WordsInTalker.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">My daughter's language has exploded. We started with Speak for Yourself ten months ago with two words open- eat and drink. Soon we added in more and the words kept on coming. We add in anything she shows interest in, anything we're talking about, and we just model, model, model. She's now 2.5. Last month, she passed the milestone of 700 words in the talker. Roughly 500 of those get modeled or used each week. The progress was very slow at first and I wasn't sure I'd made the right decision but it is, without question, worth it.&nbsp;</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bqPVuqvtGSI/VimAE0FcKiI/AAAAAAAAFeE/UNYlCP-I9A4/s1600/20151017_153224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bqPVuqvtGSI/VimAE0FcKiI/AAAAAAAAFeE/UNYlCP-I9A4/s400/20151017_153224.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"Pool, orca, pool, orca, swim, jump" . . . w</span></span></i><i style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">hat better place to add and model new words (Orca) than Sea World! &nbsp;(</span></i><i style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roo, 5 years old, from Houston using Speak for Yourself</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmJU7fO9VcI/VimAEwQaerI/AAAAAAAAFd4/nO1t4qDPFso/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="331" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kmJU7fO9VcI/VimAEwQaerI/AAAAAAAAFd4/nO1t4qDPFso/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"New baby coming soon!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--LuoZ6tTmLc/VimAKs72WGI/AAAAAAAAFe8/gplI6ao4x5Q/s1600/meyer%2Bfarms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--LuoZ6tTmLc/VimAKs72WGI/AAAAAAAAFe8/gplI6ao4x5Q/s400/meyer%2Bfarms.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isaac, age 5, at a local farm stand interacting ("hi goat") and feeding their animals.&nbsp; Isaac uses Speak for Yourself and has the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trident-Industrial-Case-Handle-Retail-Packaging-White/dp/B00HYPC6QK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1445536962&amp;sr=8-6&amp;keywords=ipad+air+case+handle">Trident Kraken case</a>.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JjLKm5hI90M/VimAFdd_MoI/AAAAAAAAFeQ/iweo3higH6g/s1600/IMG_1788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JjLKm5hI90M/VimAFdd_MoI/AAAAAAAAFeQ/iweo3higH6g/s400/IMG_1788.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;Here's a photo that represents what AAC means to us. Here is Mateo using using his Dynavox Maestro with Picture Wordpower 100 to talk with, love, admire and antagonize his big sister Madeline all at the same time. We love spending time together as a family -- sometimes in crowded restaurants. When his voice can't be heard over the noise, Mateo simply shows us his screen. He is a passionate independent communicator. He loves his high school where he participates in the drama program and runs on the cross country team. He sings the National Anthem at his high school's basketball and soccer games.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mwhDOEWjRaQ/VimAD4dx8NI/AAAAAAAAFds/QbNsmISeLSo/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mwhDOEWjRaQ/VimAD4dx8NI/AAAAAAAAFds/QbNsmISeLSo/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<i>Mateo with his friend Sara taken at Camp ALEC during a literacy session.&nbsp;</i></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Mateo's mom is an SLP who works in a hospital and in private practice---and she is also the co-director of Campt ALEC, a literacy camp for children and young adults who use AAC. She blogs at:&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.voices4all.wordpress.com/">www.voices4all.wordpress.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Camp ALEC will return to Indian Trails Camp in Grand Rapids, MI, August 14-20, 2016, and more information can be found here:&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.campalec.wordpress.com/">www.campalec.wordpress.com</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwC_ekxzyTo/VioFx7lwEEI/AAAAAAAAFfI/rOpN3y7BgnY/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25287%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RwC_ekxzyTo/VioFx7lwEEI/AAAAAAAAFfI/rOpN3y7BgnY/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25287%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lemmy using his talker before bed, with little brother Linus watching and using his own iPad. Both are using Speak for Yourself.</span></i></div><div class="ii gt m1509239291eef4f3 adP adO" id=":1cq" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; direction: ltr; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 5px 15px 0px 0px; orphans: auto; padding-bottom: 5px; position: relative; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="a3s" id=":18f" style="overflow: hidden; text-align: center;"><div class="yj6qo"></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wsiquywJS_8/VioFzBSSPZI/AAAAAAAAFfQ/WGDgkbtSfaE/s1600/DSCF6045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wsiquywJS_8/VioFzBSSPZI/AAAAAAAAFfQ/WGDgkbtSfaE/s400/DSCF6045.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is Cady standing in her FunPod in the kitchen and chatting with me while we make supper!</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TGxuOig8zBE/VioJgo3jgKI/AAAAAAAAFfc/q3Ddjb9aNZ8/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TGxuOig8zBE/VioJgo3jgKI/AAAAAAAAFfc/q3Ddjb9aNZ8/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Our contribution this week: This is Mini, heavily coated with flour (as was the table, floor, and chairs) after a play dough making speech session that went a little awry.&nbsp;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-30714896437155312612015-10-16T06:56:00.000-04:002015-10-16T06:56:54.206-04:00AAC Family Friday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy AAC Family Friday! Thank you to all who have sent in pictures---I seriously love putting this together each week :) (The italicized text is quotes pulled from emails, the plain font stuff is my own commentary).&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uukIHJ5VvQM/ViA7R5zIaTI/AAAAAAAAFaY/GTJqXIcEoFI/s1600/1apicture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uukIHJ5VvQM/ViA7R5zIaTI/AAAAAAAAFaY/GTJqXIcEoFI/s400/1apicture.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's Finn at the park, using his talker to chat about trucks we see on the bridge in the distance!</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QC7lYYfNOgc/ViA7SYX2_iI/AAAAAAAAFac/GImSsiHiE9g/s1600/20151011_183414_resized_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QC7lYYfNOgc/ViA7SYX2_iI/AAAAAAAAFac/GImSsiHiE9g/s400/20151011_183414_resized_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Chatting with daddy with PODD, using the Compass app.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJskz32n4mA/ViA7Rhw9CgI/AAAAAAAAFaU/yHwzw-HLJfE/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25285%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="388" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJskz32n4mA/ViA7Rhw9CgI/AAAAAAAAFaU/yHwzw-HLJfE/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25285%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Lemmy, 4 years old, using his iPad with speak for yourself while we shop. He loves to chat when we're shopping.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cGqJF8GRnEA/ViA7TFOAxOI/AAAAAAAAFao/GAFv0SdqlNw/s1600/IMG_0169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cGqJF8GRnEA/ViA7TFOAxOI/AAAAAAAAFao/GAFv0SdqlNw/s400/IMG_0169.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">C waiting patiently to see the ENT and commenting on a girl's sweatshirt - 'sparkles'. (It was pretty flashy)&nbsp;</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uTwegf60AFc/ViA7Xoxt6dI/AAAAAAAAFa8/Y3an5gO433c/s1600/IMG_7760.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uTwegf60AFc/ViA7Xoxt6dI/AAAAAAAAFa8/Y3an5gO433c/s400/IMG_7760.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Aidan with his talker at his brother’s cross country meet. His brother shattered the school record . . .</span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E2qdxST6nyU/ViA7SpmUpSI/AAAAAAAAFas/XrNHDpYKIbs/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E2qdxST6nyU/ViA7SpmUpSI/AAAAAAAAFas/XrNHDpYKIbs/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;. . . because Aidan was able to give him very clear instructions: LIAM RUN FASTER</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Check out more of Aidan's adventures and his mom's reflections here:&nbsp;</span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://familysynapse.com/">http://familysynapse.com/</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L0CvZbMwIC8/ViA7appw_TI/AAAAAAAAFbU/nV99Wzi6IHU/s1600/IMG_7826.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L0CvZbMwIC8/ViA7appw_TI/AAAAAAAAFbU/nV99Wzi6IHU/s400/IMG_7826.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hosea (age 5) chats during a break from his soccer game.</span></i></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bOTnHOBLjwY/ViA7aPsvAQI/AAAAAAAAFbM/zQoOW_PWw6U/s1600/IMG_7878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bOTnHOBLjwY/ViA7aPsvAQI/AAAAAAAAFbM/zQoOW_PWw6U/s400/IMG_7878.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Avelina (age 3) enjoying the pumpkin patch.</span></i></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NUgKWYk6gH8/ViA7a7NB0VI/AAAAAAAAFbc/llkaJNfJVSM/s1600/IMG_7896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NUgKWYk6gH8/ViA7a7NB0VI/AAAAAAAAFbc/llkaJNfJVSM/s400/IMG_7896.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hosea labels the animals in the petting zoo for his little sister.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XLiycWJey_0/ViA7brXYWjI/AAAAAAAAFbg/K1wRS0ihdh8/s1600/IMG_7933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XLiycWJey_0/ViA7brXYWjI/AAAAAAAAFbg/K1wRS0ihdh8/s400/IMG_7933.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Avelina uses her talker at mealtime.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hosea and Avelina (of the four fantastic pictures above) both use Speak for Yourself on a ProSlate 8 (iPad mini). They also both&nbsp;</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">have a rare genetic disorder called GAND (GATAD2B-Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorder).&nbsp; You can read more about GAND at&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.gatad2b.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.gatad2b.org</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">&nbsp;or follow the Facebook page at</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/gatad2b" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/gatad2b</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jwv2FqIQn7Q/ViA7k-_zPOI/AAAAAAAAFcM/Tx3p3EQxCYA/s1600/newpic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jwv2FqIQn7Q/ViA7k-_zPOI/AAAAAAAAFcM/Tx3p3EQxCYA/s400/newpic.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This comes from the other side of our AAC family---the professionals! Taken at the "Closing the Gap" conference, this is Renee Collender (co-creator of Speak for Yourself), David Niemeijer (AssistiveWare CEO and founder), and Heidi LoStracco (co-creator of Speak for Yourself).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UZSZWsYWbpw/ViA_vUks9FI/AAAAAAAAFcg/PgWrnMFeOCE/s1600/image1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UZSZWsYWbpw/ViA_vUks9FI/AAAAAAAAFcg/PgWrnMFeOCE/s400/image1.PNG" width="223" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><i>Max is FaceTime'ing with Grandma - a very motivating activity!&nbsp; &nbsp;With the talker right next to the iPad, Grandma can hear. Max is learning to ask questions and comment. It's been awesome!</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">(And since Grandma is not in the home, it fits the theme!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mpRYEnL_4TE/ViA7j1nOTvI/AAAAAAAAFb0/u0mYtZUgYe8/s1600/WP_20151011_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mpRYEnL_4TE/ViA7j1nOTvI/AAAAAAAAFb0/u0mYtZUgYe8/s400/WP_20151011_001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Alix communicating whilst canoeing.</i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-glbTucxlSnw/ViA7lJafc2I/AAAAAAAAFcQ/Ol8kbTLxdUA/s1600/WP_20151011_009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-glbTucxlSnw/ViA7lJafc2I/AAAAAAAAFcQ/Ol8kbTLxdUA/s400/WP_20151011_009.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(Canoeing, people!!!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyXZElmhp8w/ViA7lIO4QdI/AAAAAAAAFcI/rFzFTsPeAIw/s1600/tia%2Bmorje.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyXZElmhp8w/ViA7lIO4QdI/AAAAAAAAFcI/rFzFTsPeAIw/s400/tia%2Bmorje.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Tia (from Slovenia) in a vineyard, using communication binder (made with Boardmaker), discussing fall and fruits.</i></span></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95OjzBKQos8/ViA7jUie2OI/AAAAAAAAFbs/szPb2sN9Hmo/s1600/PicCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-95OjzBKQos8/ViA7jUie2OI/AAAAAAAAFbs/szPb2sN9Hmo/s400/PicCollage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;(totally speaks for itself)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6l8tRh0fu8/ViA7kRC6llI/AAAAAAAAFcA/lLQqTrb1spA/s1600/IMG_20151014_105006590_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I6l8tRh0fu8/ViA7kRC6llI/AAAAAAAAFcA/lLQqTrb1spA/s400/IMG_20151014_105006590_HDR.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aidan and I talking about what we are excited to see on the dolphin cruise we were on!</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CSOIB9YQgIk/ViBOCevMWoI/AAAAAAAAFcw/RkjACxeVmtM/s1600/IMG_1472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CSOIB9YQgIk/ViBOCevMWoI/AAAAAAAAFcw/RkjACxeVmtM/s1600/IMG_1472.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><i>Jay (almost five) enjoying "local summer" in Long Branch, NJ on Columbus Day!</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xlMOQAAB2Ls/ViDQDBQxEnI/AAAAAAAAFdA/73Mqz7Wo-zI/s1600/FindingWordAtZoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xlMOQAAB2Ls/ViDQDBQxEnI/AAAAAAAAFdA/73Mqz7Wo-zI/s400/FindingWordAtZoo.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white;">Daddy helps find a word at the zoo!</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LGa6EgTLQYI/ViDQGmpPAQI/AAAAAAAAFdI/USUOjH7fHQo/s1600/pinwheel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LGa6EgTLQYI/ViDQGmpPAQI/AAAAAAAAFdI/USUOjH7fHQo/s400/pinwheel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">After spotting a pinwheel in the garage before a walk, she was adamant we take it with us. I took a photo and added the word to her talker. It was a favorite word on the walk and in the weeks following!</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--B_whdm2LZo/ViA_gQiik2I/AAAAAAAAFcY/xx7ZhswjMJo/s1600/count2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--B_whdm2LZo/ViA_gQiik2I/AAAAAAAAFcY/xx7ZhswjMJo/s400/count2.jpg" width="367" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maya and her talker, laughing it up with the Count and his talker at Sesame Place!</div><br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-28351370258267755152015-10-13T07:58:00.001-04:002015-10-13T07:58:38.297-04:00Toss-it-back Tuesday: Maya Finds Her VoiceDon't be intimidated by the 10 minute timestamp on this video---once you start watching (it opens with 2 year old Maya signing "open" and making some noise) you kind of get pulled in.<div><br /></div><div>This was put together for an assistive tech conference that we added two years ago, and it shows highlights from 3 years of Maya's AAC journey (age 2-5). While progress is real life is slow and sometimes inconsistent, this video gives the wide view on what AAC looks like with a new user.</div><div><br /></div><div>(It also makes me think, "Oh man, I should be getting more video now, so that I can make a year 5-8 video next.")</div><div><br /></div><div>Without further ado . . . &nbsp;<a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2013/04/maya-finds-her-voice.html">Maya Finds Her Voice.</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jdXa5lG2sOQ/Vhzxw_f2VgI/AAAAAAAAFaA/3GQfvoyewPw/s1600/maya%2Bfinds%2Bher%2Bvoice.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jdXa5lG2sOQ/Vhzxw_f2VgI/AAAAAAAAFaA/3GQfvoyewPw/s400/maya%2Bfinds%2Bher%2Bvoice.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>2.5 years old and so cute! (Click the link above to get to the video)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-88155928524884185092015-10-12T07:13:00.000-04:002015-10-12T07:13:34.084-04:00Emailing with AAC (video)Before I had kids I'm not sure that I would have predicted that I would be encouraging my child to start sending email as soon as possible . . . but that's definitely what happened. On a quest to encourage Maya to work on writing (writing = typing; and spelling things phonetically, or even typing strings of jibberish letters also = writing) I set up an email account for her well over a year ago . . . but it never really took off. She tried it out, but she wasn't much interested in trying to write anything intentional, and she lost interest after a few days of banging out (literally) some email.<br /><div><br /></div><div>At that was it, until last week.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last week Maya's app (Speak for Yourself) sent out an update that allows the user to email from within the app. (This is awesome. Also, there are a few other apps that have similar functionality---so if you have a child/client using something different, check whether you have this option.) Now Maya can compose an email the same way she uses her app to speak, just by building sentences into the sentence bar, and then she can click to send them. It's been a game-changer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before I talk about how we're using email, here are a few logistics: 1. I deleted my email account and contacts from the iPad and then added Maya's email account and contacts, so that she only has access to a small number of family/friends to email. 2. We do email on a separate talker, not on Mini (this might change, but not right now). 3. I only turn on the email function for designated email times.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EN3xez0ZQro/VhuVhgd_KmI/AAAAAAAAFZw/fZryn8Z_nPs/s1600/emailing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EN3xez0ZQro/VhuVhgd_KmI/AAAAAAAAFZw/fZryn8Z_nPs/s400/emailing.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So, here's what email is doing for us---and what it's not.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li>It's letting us work on narrative building. Conveying information has important parts, and if you leave information out the message gets muddy. It is strange to just say "Hi Grandma" and send that as an email. If you're writing to someone it should have a few sentences. If you say a few things about yourself, it's nice to ask a question so that your friend has something to respond to.</li></ul><ul><li>It's letting us work on punctuation (and eventually grammar) in ways that feel more natural than speech.&nbsp;Consider "be for Halloween" (something Maya actually wrote in an email yesterday): is it a statement (<i>before Halloween</i>&nbsp;let's do xyz, or I'm going to&nbsp;<i>be&nbsp;</i>something&nbsp;<i>for Halloween</i>) or is it a question (what are you going to&nbsp;<i>be for Halloween?</i>). For Maya, it turned out to be a question (I know because I asked her) so I showed her how to add a question mark. Using punctuation is a skill of composing stories that I don't really target when she uses AAC to communicate, because it feels strange to add punctuation to speech . . . but it feels natural when you're composing an email.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li>Eventually, I will model some recasts of her grammatically incorrect sentences, but I am not doing that right now. I want writing email (or stories, or anything) to be fun---not to feel like work. I want her to feel successful and motivated. I may insert myself to add a punctuation mark (because that doesn't feel obtrusive) but I'm mostly sitting back (and just encouraging her to expand).</li></ul><ul><li>Emailing from within the app is <i>not</i>&nbsp;taking the place of other typing. It's fantastic that this gives her a way to work on writing skills (composing sentences and questions, telling stories, etc) but it doesn't take the place of using letters to spell phonetically. That phonetic spelling is what will lay the foundation for true literacy, and it needs to be included in her days (right now this is generally done at school---I'm not doing formal spelling work at home. Not due to lack of interest, but lack of time). You'll see in the video that she does sometimes incorporate spelling into her emails, which I am encouraging but not requiring or prompting.&nbsp;</li></ul><div><br /></div></div><div>I thought it might be helpful to share a video of what it looks like when we sit to write an email. I was trying something new here, asking Maya to "tell 2 things and ask 1 question" in order to thwart her natural tendency to write a word or two and then send immediately. I'm intentionally not modeling any possible sentences because I want her to really generate the ideas on her own, not to copy something that I say.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>If you have ideas or feedback, I'd love to hear it :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/38j42v4Qef4?rel=0" width="640"></iframe> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-8996667294438950992015-10-09T05:56:00.000-04:002015-10-09T05:56:47.979-04:00AAC Family, Week 2!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy AAC Family Friday, everyone!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I received a smaller crop of pictures this week (I blame myself for forgetting to promote it until Thursday morning---oops!) . . . but the ones that were sent it are fabulous :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For next week, a theme: let's get a big post next Friday filled with our AAC users out and about. Your mission this week is to get a picture of AAC use outside of the home. Send your pictures to uncommonfeedback@gmail.com (and I promise to remind you guys on FB before Thursday).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Without further ado:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c7fsvqpTdz0/VheJyqUIUPI/AAAAAAAAFYA/RibGahJBPvg/s1600/DSCF8147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c7fsvqpTdz0/VheJyqUIUPI/AAAAAAAAFYA/RibGahJBPvg/s400/DSCF8147.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We were out on the weekend here in London and took this picture of Cady with her talker in a greenhouse. She was using it to tell me the colours of the different flowers we were looking at.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNuswPfCsfc/VheJyIuQNYI/AAAAAAAAFX8/rE9K0H4EYZg/s1600/Anna%2BNetherlands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNuswPfCsfc/VheJyIuQNYI/AAAAAAAAFX8/rE9K0H4EYZg/s400/Anna%2BNetherlands.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white;">Chatting with PODD. Anna 8 years old with Angelman Syndrome and we live in The Netherlands. Since May we use also the Compass app and I just love that our house is not so quite anymore.</span></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbPqu3xl6c8/VheJ07WKccI/AAAAAAAAFYY/w4QN4Mmh-Xo/s1600/DSCN0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbPqu3xl6c8/VheJ07WKccI/AAAAAAAAFYY/w4QN4Mmh-Xo/s400/DSCN0004.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">Tia Sara has undiagnosed nevro- muscular genetical condition (probably Mitochondrial disease). She in 9,5 years old, and is using head switches with computer (SD) and iPad (app Go Talk NOW). This picture is Tia Sara choosing what she wants to do. &nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">We are from Slovenia (Europe) where aac community isn't very large.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Nadomestna komunikacija/neverbalno sporazumevanje&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">(a link to a Slovenian Facebook group): <a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_485913354">&nbsp;</a></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/310899679098188/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/310899679098188/</a></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And this is a link for Tia Sara's Facebook page:&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/tiasara2006">https://www.facebook.com/tiasara2006</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKBha9VXyWU/VheJ1zOH25I/AAAAAAAAFYs/24MyY9gcTxA/s1600/image3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKBha9VXyWU/VheJ1zOH25I/AAAAAAAAFYs/24MyY9gcTxA/s400/image3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>&nbsp;A screenshot from Nico (a 4 year old Speak for Yourself user who has Angelman Syndrome) asking his parents to take him swimming!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YAWtw3Lz1yw/VheJ2c-N34I/AAAAAAAAFY0/B4jaGjEYgCg/s1600/image5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YAWtw3Lz1yw/VheJ2c-N34I/AAAAAAAAFY0/B4jaGjEYgCg/s400/image5.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">&nbsp;One of Nico's younger brothers exploring AAC during a bath!</span></i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CM0_FmdlNU8/VheJzCPgniI/AAAAAAAAFYI/yZkBhbii8Ww/s1600/IMG_1696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CM0_FmdlNU8/VheJzCPgniI/AAAAAAAAFYI/yZkBhbii8Ww/s400/IMG_1696.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is Finn!&nbsp; He is 4 yrs old and has a rare chromosome deletion and global developmental delays.&nbsp; In this pic he is using his talker (TouchChat on an iPad mini) to talk about what he sees on our daily after school walk to the park.&nbsp; His favorite part of the day!</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I8m8FHDM-E4/VheJ1i1bAsI/AAAAAAAAFYk/nA9l1kFlyHY/s1600/IMG_2874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I8m8FHDM-E4/VheJ1i1bAsI/AAAAAAAAFYk/nA9l1kFlyHY/s400/IMG_2874.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Roo (age 5) at AAC themed camp (ALL the kids/adolescent campers used AAC devices with camp activities geared around fun using their devices) with her camp counselors that are SLP students. We&nbsp;</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">live in Houston, camp was in Mississippi.</span></span></i></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nhq4qmPnhec/VheJz85F1iI/AAAAAAAAFYQ/mxT6DHlxe2c/s1600/Milo%2BLG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nhq4qmPnhec/VheJz85F1iI/AAAAAAAAFYQ/mxT6DHlxe2c/s400/Milo%2BLG.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Milo and Lily Grace chatting with their PODD books during a play date in San Francisco, CA!</span></i></span></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sGed--gLgy4/VheJ1rlRyGI/AAAAAAAAFYg/xmJk5BQGsp8/s1600/PicCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sGed--gLgy4/VheJ1rlRyGI/AAAAAAAAFYg/xmJk5BQGsp8/s400/PicCollage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charlie using PODD to cheer on his rugby team in the world cup!</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g73Lwtgds8A/VhePGC08xSI/AAAAAAAAFZI/hlHB-lUBClg/s1600/12109174_10204462206227820_71299501773073797_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g73Lwtgds8A/VhePGC08xSI/AAAAAAAAFZI/hlHB-lUBClg/s400/12109174_10204462206227820_71299501773073797_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Maya and Will waiting for Maya's bus in the morning. Maya is wearing Mini, an iPad mini in an iAdapter case, and uses Speak for Yourself.&nbsp;</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-28670019188632545182015-10-08T11:49:00.000-04:002015-10-08T13:25:11.144-04:00Pulling Your Team Together<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether you are the parent of a child with special needs or a professional (teacher, SLP, OT, PT, ATP, etc) working with children with special needs, you have likely disagreed with someone at some point over something related to goals and priorities and implementation. Maybe you’re annoyed that the classroom teacher is spending so much time on tracing when you think the child should be keyboarding, or you feel that the time devoted to learning to jump would be better used practicing ascending and descending stairs. Or maybe you feel like the school team is working like a well-oiled machine, but the family isn’t doing any carryover. The conflicts are fairly common, especially when a child is complicated and may have a large amount of team members jostling to direct their area of expertise.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We’ve been through this with Maya’s team over the years, many times. There are a large number of things that I let go (for example, I’m rarely involved with PT, as it’s just not my priority, and it’s the area in which I am least informed about goals and methodologies). I’m semi-involved in OT, mainly because I want her to have the skills needed to write (in whatever form that takes) and I check in periodically to ensure that the occupational therapist is remembering that that is our goal. But communication . . . well, I’m all over that one.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When there are family vs. professional (or professional vs. professional, or family vs. family) conflicts related to AAC choices, AAC implementation, the balance between AAC and other speech services . . . well, it can feel pretty emotional. Fostering an individual’s ability to communicate autonomously, to say exactly what they want to say, to whom they want to say it, whenever and wherever they happen to be----that’s as high stakes as it gets. If one member of a team feels that they have a plan for how to support the child in using AAC and another team member disagrees, or isn’t interested in trying, it feels like a very real threat to the child’s ability to become a communicator (and, truly, it often is a real threat). <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Things get emotional. <i>You-have-to</i>and <i>This-isn’t-how-we-do-it </i>declarations are made. Heels are dug in. Invisible lines are drawn. People are defensive. The team is not a team, but loose collection of different people with different agendas who are teetering on the edge of not trusting or respecting each other.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">No one wins.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been there, as a parent and as a teacher, and I imagine that in a few years I will be there as an SLP, too. &nbsp;And for the past several years I’ve been in the slightly awkward position of being the AAC expert on Maya’s team, as well as her mom. As you may imagine, it has been uncomfortable to introduce myself to the new SLP each year . . . I have to walk in, teach them about Maya’s system, explain my goals (total communication goals, AAC goals, and speech goals), and give them a rundown of some AAC best practices. Sometimes I have to spend time gently informing them about motor planning, and why I won’t allow them to program or re-arrange vocabulary, and why topic boards aren’t really appropriate or a best practice. So basically <i>Even though you are a professional and I’m the mom, I know more than you do about AAC, and I’m going to tell you how you need to use it, and actually some of the stuff you thought you were doing correctly aren’t really best practices anymore. Oh and hey, nice to meet you!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Awkward. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then I do it with the teacher and para, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been pretty fortunate to have team members who listen, learn, and work together---and I’m sure that part of this is luck, but part of it is also the approach. As someone who has been a teacher and a parent, I can see that there is one underlying key to getting everyone to come together: investment. The team leader (in the example above that's me, since I was the person calling the meeting) has to get each member of the team invested in the matter at hand. It’s a central concept of leadership, I think: if people feel empowered, motivated, and valued they become excited to dive in and give it a go.&nbsp; (Whereas if people feel uninformed, un-confident, and like demands are being placed on them, they become defensive and may be “forced” to comply, but their participation will be subpar, phoned in, and will likely fade quickly.)&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And so, here’s my approach. (Note: In this approach you have to presume competence and good intentions of the people on the team. Extra note: If you suspect your team member may not be competent or have the best intentions, put on a fake smile&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">and try anyway. &nbsp;If needed, when this fails you can move up the chain of command knowing you did your best----but they may end up surprising you.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--VHRiZ3g0sM/VhaKY6MBlkI/AAAAAAAAFXg/1E9PYAPU73o/s1600/Investing%2Ba%2Bteam%2Bmember.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--VHRiZ3g0sM/VhaKY6MBlkI/AAAAAAAAFXg/1E9PYAPU73o/s400/Investing%2Ba%2Bteam%2Bmember.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-decoration: underline;">Step 1: What is happening here is amazing!!!!!</b>&nbsp;In this step, you share what you are implementing and how it's working. Bonus points for having video clips of AAC use or AAC modeling in action, or work samples, or anything concrete that can catch the team member's eye and pique their interest. Some examples:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>We are building a foundation of language by modeling without any expectation of him to use it in return, which will lead to his ability to share his thoughts when he is ready and able.</li></ul><ul><li>We are encouraging her to love and interact with the talker, which will sometimes be purposeful communication and will sometimes be noisy exploration, and this will lead to a greater knowledge and mastery of the vocabulary in the device.</li></ul><ul><li>We are responding to everything he taps as if it is purposeful and meaningful, which will lead to the understanding that we respect his use of this device as truly communicative and not “just playing.”</li></ul><ul><li>We are choosing to focus primarily on core vocabulary because it is highly useful and flexible, and using smaller amounts of fringe vocabulary right now while he is learning, which will lead to her ability to communicate about many things throughout the day, rather than just during circle time.</li></ul><ul><li>We are responding to “misuse” of the device the way that we would respond to “misuse” of speech, by using phrases like “right now isn’t a time for talking” or “we can talk about that topic during free time, but right now it’s time to discuss this story.”</li></ul><ul><li>We are attempting to increase her utterance length by recasting and expanding upon her statements throughout the day, which will help her to share more of her thoughts with all of us.</li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Step 2:</u> You are uniquely poised to play a role in this amazingness, and it’s easy to see that you are going to do an amazing job being an amazing member of this amazing team! </b>Some examples:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>I can see how much you are invested in the success of your students, and I know that he really looks up to you!</li></ul><ul><li>Since he spends the bulk of his time in your classroom, the support that you can provide for him will have a huge impact.</li></ul><ul><li>As an SLP, you play such an important role in improving her communication, and analyzing the areas of language that we can target next!</li></ul><ul><li>During your sessions she will be able to really target and practice new skills in a way that she won’t be able to do in the larger classroom.</li></ul><ul><li>I’m only her teacher, and I am so excited to hear the new thoughts she will be able to share with this device----I can’t even imagine how exciting that must be to you, her parent.</li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Step 3</u>: Don’t worry if this seems new-there are a lot of different ways that I can support you and we can work together to keep up the amazingness! &nbsp;</b>Some examples:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>Let me show you a few things that are working for us. We’re really excited about them!&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li>I know that you have a lot on your plate. Let’s figure out how we can ensure that this is easy for you to implement (and doesn’t create much extra work)</li></ul><ul><li>Let’s identify a who/when/where/how for starting implementation (in a discreet way)</li></ul><ul><li>Let’s agree on a bottom line for these first two weeks, and then we can check in.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li>Let’s figure out how I can support you. Some ideas include:</li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;-report what we talked about at home/school</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-create a target word list</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-create print supports</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-provide you with some research articles about AAC</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-send home worksheets for you to complete together</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>-provide you with links to videos of modeling, or video myself modeling with this&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; child</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;-come to school to guest model for part of a day, or invite you to our speech session&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;so that you can see modeling</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; -refer you to some online groups/websites that have great AAC resources and&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;connections</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; -help you to troubleshoot</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Step 4:</u> I welcome your input as a valued team member! </b>Make sure that you give the team member a chance to respond, and really listen to what they say. Take notes. Examples:&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">What do you think about this?</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">What do you see as being the biggest potential challenges?&nbsp;</span></li><li><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">After a few days of trying, let me know what you think, I’m looking forward to hearingyour input.</span></li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Step 5:</u>&nbsp;Catch new team member being amazing, shout out the amazingness!</b>&nbsp;&nbsp;EVEN if the team member isn’t doing things perfectly, don’t criticize yet!!! For example, if the history tracker shows that the talker was only used at lunch, you praise that use at lunch, and don’t mention the silence elsewhere. They are dipping their toe in the water . . . you need to build them up, reinforce that the water isn’t scary and that they are ready------you don’t need to yell at them to jump in the pool. You want to give a few rounds of praise before gently pushing for more. Examples:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>I was thrilled to see the modeling that happened at lunch yesterday! Keep up the great work!</li></ul><ul><li>(Child) said that you used the talker to talk about stickers, and he was really excited. His favorite stickers have green bugs on them---maybe that’s something you could talk about today!</li></ul><ul><li>I can see that the talker is being used every morning during circle time---great job being consistent!</li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Once you’ve got people on board and feeling good, now you’re ready to pick a new goal. Then you go back to step 1/2 , telling everyone that they are great and amazing, and that they’re ready to up their game a little bit <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now . . . is this a magic approach? Will it work smoothly, without any resistance? Probably not. So here are some ways that you could address resistance:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Some possible things to say if a new team member is resistant:<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>Tell me about what you think the biggest challenges would be here.</li></ul><ul><li>I can see how that could be challenging. (That period is important! Acknowledge that it’s challenging as a full sentence and wait before rushing in to tell them why it’s not challenging).</li></ul><ul><li>When I was new to this approach it seemed strange to me, but as I learned more I saw how amazing it is---you’ll see <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></li></ul><ul><li>I hear your concerns. Would it help if I could provide additional resources or references about this approach?</li></ul><ul><li>Maybe we could have a trial period and then re-evaluate what’s working and what needs to be tweaked?</li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And a possible thing-to-say if they become obstinate:</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>I know that this approach is new to you, and that it may not be your preferred course of action, but I also know that we are both working toward the same goal: helping my child communicate as independently as possible. It seems like we each have a preferred way of working toward that goal, and I think that we need to find a way to merge our approaches so that we can better support Johnny together.</li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And if there’s just no getting through and the meeting time is done and you’re nearly in tears (not that that’s ever happened to me), here are a few possibilities:</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>I’m disappointed that we weren’t able to figure something out today.</li></ul><ul><li>I am frustrated and scared for my child, and desperate for him to become a better communicator. I feel like he’s not getting the support that he needs to work toward this goal at school, and I was hoping that we would be able to make some small changes today that could pay off in big ways.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I’m going to request a meeting with (principal, superintendent, speech supervisor, district person, etc)---and I hope that maybe having more minds at the table can steer us toward a better resolution.&nbsp;</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I</span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">’m going to put in a written request for an assistive technology evaluation through the district, so that we can get a specialist in to help both of us come up with a better plan.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I’m going to hire an independent assistive tech/AAC specialist/AAC-SLP to come in and consult with the team, and hopefully she will help formulate and action plan.</span></li></ul><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Calm. Compassionate. Seeking first to understand why team members may be holding back or disagreeing, then to have your proposed path and solutions understood and accepted. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Presuming competence and good intentions from the people that you will likely be stuck working with (for better or for worse) for many months, and trying to unite with them to create a support network for your child. You are not begging or pleading, but also not demanding. You are firm and calm and clear, and inviting and affirming and welcoming. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Will there be times that this doesn’t work? Yes, yes there will. But with those people, nothing would have worked---the yelling and demanding or shaming or threatening wouldn’t have worked, either. I believe that this approach gives everyone the greatest likelihood of building a team . . . and if not, at least you’ve taken the high road of being respectful and professional as you advocate. No one ever regrets taking the high road.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">(And that’s when you take the high road right up the chain of command.)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Feel free to share you own tips &amp; tricks in the comments :)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-43828607807261381722015-10-06T19:14:00.002-04:002015-10-06T19:14:29.708-04:00Toss-it-back Tuesday: An Open Letter to Parents of Children with Speech DelaysEvery Tuesday in October I'll be linking back to one of my "greatest hits" posts, and this is an easy first pick. This is probably the post that most often makes it way back to me via mentions-in-emails, as in "I hadn't heard about AAC until I read your Open Letter" or "After I read your Open Letter I knew that I had to just do it." &nbsp;When I first heard about AAC I was equal parts enthralled <i>(oh my god this might really work)</i>&nbsp;and furious <i>(why has no professional ever mentioned this to me before)</i>&nbsp; . . . and so I feel obligated to spread the word to parents out there who are in the same spot that I once was (searching, wondering) and say "Look! This is a thing! And you absolutely can do it on your own if you need to! In fact, you kind of must!"<div><br /></div><div>Without further ado: <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2013/04/an-open-letter-to-parent-of-child-with.html">An Open Letter to Parents of Children with Speech Delays</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OqBGY7frvnw/VhRVoPIY-AI/AAAAAAAAFXQ/kBlyaCN-5vg/s1600/which-step-have-you-reached-today2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OqBGY7frvnw/VhRVoPIY-AI/AAAAAAAAFXQ/kBlyaCN-5vg/s400/which-step-have-you-reached-today2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(image found through Google image search)</i></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-37994877317723708752015-10-05T20:22:00.001-04:002015-10-05T20:22:18.131-04:00Aided Language Input/Modeling VideosLooking for a little modeling inspiration? Check out these videos of modeling in action :)<br /><br /><i>Note: These are all YouTube hosted public listed videos. I don't own them (well, except for the two that have my kids in them) or have any affiliation with anyone involved in them.</i><br /><br />This is a really solid, great overview to Aided Language Input. I love how it doesn't focus on requesting, but shows how to model comments, questions, and many other things that a child (or, really, any person) might want to say.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/vUY6oQoSTXw?rel=0" width="480"></iframe> <br /><br /><br />This video is about using a PODD book for communication, but the first three minutes demonstrate some great modeling and exploration that would be useful to an AAC communication partner on any type of system:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kz3uzbiZbPU?rel=0" width="640"></iframe> <br /><br /><br />This clip shows modeling in a therapy session with a 2 year old who is new to AAC:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sW_7FKZ-ihA?list=UU0RpynD1VVz0a0BN9NH9W-A" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><br />This video (of Maya and I) shows dual device modeling--when the AAC user has their device and the communication partner uses a second device to model. At home we use a mix of modeling on one device and dual device modeling:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2Tw7a_jFKP0?rel=0" width="480"></iframe> <br /><br /><br />This video shows modeling in action with an older student (longer sentences, questioning).<br /><br />&nbsp; <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/QywUaX99-D4?list=PL9eofy_p4y112EQ0HjOrz3AEQWpxAaK3t" width="640"></iframe><br /><br />This video (of my kids) shows Will learning the word "drink" on his talker. There is modeling in the beginning and then again around 1:45 (and I think this shows the light, fun tone that home AAC use can/should have):<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0kjAaBVX8wg?rel=0" width="640"></iframe> <br /><br /><br />And this is an example of what modeling sometimes really looks like: only occasional attention paid by the kids, as I model away to myself. But you can see Maya sneaking glances, and we've seen over time that these glances really add up, and she will apply this learning later:<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A8CDN5m-KKM?rel=0" width="640"></iframe> <br /><br />Hungry for more videos about modeling? Check out this Pinterest Board from the great Lauren Enders: <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lasenders/aac-video-examples-of-implementationaided-language/">AAC Video Example of Implementation/Aided Language Support</a>.<br /><br /><br /><br />&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp; <br /><br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-85483791798514792622015-10-02T06:53:00.001-04:002015-10-02T06:53:21.438-04:00AAC Family Friday! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Our AAC families: kids, adults, siblings, and professionals . . . all joined in AAC. &nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tm5jgslC2a0/Vg3MILIa7nI/AAAAAAAAFVI/fqugd7n5e8M/s1600/after%2Bbath%2Bavaz%2Bchatter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tm5jgslC2a0/Vg3MILIa7nI/AAAAAAAAFVI/fqugd7n5e8M/s400/after%2Bbath%2Bavaz%2Bchatter.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Eva and her brother in post-bath Avaz chatter in French!</i><br /><br /></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6nqfOw68EmI/Vg3MEB1mDnI/AAAAAAAAFUQ/_Z1AL9lzTGk/s1600/2%2Btalkers%2Bat%2Bonce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6nqfOw68EmI/Vg3MEB1mDnI/AAAAAAAAFUQ/_Z1AL9lzTGk/s400/2%2Btalkers%2Bat%2Bonce.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A second talker for modeling? No way---I can use them both myself!</i></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Roo, 5, lives in Houston TX, uses the Speak for Yourself app, and has an unspecified genetic disorder.</i><br /><i><br /></i></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fcwU0tyjiZI/Vg3MIs6WXmI/AAAAAAAAFVg/pwFGSiVTRic/s1600/friday%2Bfun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fcwU0tyjiZI/Vg3MIs6WXmI/AAAAAAAAFVg/pwFGSiVTRic/s400/friday%2Bfun.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Friday night fun for Roo's mom: programming the extra talker for the teachers to learn motor planning!</i><br /><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M2Qb9PLEznU/Vg3MFests2I/AAAAAAAAFUg/nqNCb-sPmuA/s1600/DSC01652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-M2Qb9PLEznU/Vg3MFests2I/AAAAAAAAFUg/nqNCb-sPmuA/s400/DSC01652.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hello AAC family! This is C at a family wedding near our home in Vancouver, B.C., getting ready to make a request for the DJ. &nbsp;She took this over to him and about 5 minutes later he played 'Redemption Song', much to our little Bob Marley fan's delight. We use TouchChat with WordPower on an iPad mini and the case/stand is Chatwrap.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Af82RMyca2A/Vg3MDciaPEI/AAAAAAAAFT4/GaA4ci0LL5Y/s1600/DSCF6514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Af82RMyca2A/Vg3MDciaPEI/AAAAAAAAFT4/GaA4ci0LL5Y/s400/DSCF6514.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i>This is Cady using her talker (Speak for Yourself) in the backyard this summer. (London, UK)</i></span>&nbsp;</span><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kAvZzDsfOm0/Vg3MERBf41I/AAAAAAAAFUM/QoGThoPvlUI/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kAvZzDsfOm0/Vg3MERBf41I/AAAAAAAAFUM/QoGThoPvlUI/s400/FullSizeRender%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">The life of a Special Education teacher ... Spending our 'holidays' making and re-binding PODDs in Australia!</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">(part one)</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gU1RUCWclYU/Vg3MGZPYkfI/AAAAAAAAFUs/RGlM5-ICwnw/s1600/IMG_3527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gU1RUCWclYU/Vg3MGZPYkfI/AAAAAAAAFUs/RGlM5-ICwnw/s400/IMG_3527.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(and part 2)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SKOyuDs33ys/Vg3MEu4YojI/AAAAAAAAFUU/11MGsMzfTCc/s1600/FullSizeRender-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SKOyuDs33ys/Vg3MEu4YojI/AAAAAAAAFUU/11MGsMzfTCc/s400/FullSizeRender-1.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i>Aidan is texting like a boss!&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">For more information on Aidan's text messaging abilities using Speak for Yourself, check out this post from his mom:&nbsp;http://familysynapse.com/thoughts-about-our-21-day-aac-challenge/<br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4H_MkaLYuwA/Vg3ME-_zGcI/AAAAAAAAFUY/V_z4awo345o/s1600/HereItIs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4H_MkaLYuwA/Vg3ME-_zGcI/AAAAAAAAFUY/V_z4awo345o/s400/HereItIs.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">C and E curled up together in the kitty bed (what is it about kids and small spaces?). C was reading a book while E found some words on the talker. When she couldn't find one and lamented aloud on the fact, C reached right over and found it for her.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GSaZ7s3xgTs/Vg3MKecM09I/AAAAAAAAFWQ/26StoQkGhDE/s1600/on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GSaZ7s3xgTs/Vg3MKecM09I/AAAAAAAAFWQ/26StoQkGhDE/s400/on.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know some parents get frustrated when their kids perseverate on a button. Why is it necessary to press the same thing over and over? C definitely has annoyed her sisters with her insistent button pushing. I remind them that this is her way of learning and cementing the motor planning pathways. The other day, she was in Babbly mode and kept pressing ON. All of the sudden, she squealed and jumped up- she went over to the light switch and turned it on. Back and forth she flew, continually pressing ON then turning the light on or off. Presume competence- without all the practice pressing the same button over and over, she wouldn't have made the connection. (picture #1)</span></i></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFiG9vn6z_Y/Vg3MKXPM0GI/AAAAAAAAFWE/ysMZ-8kfzCM/s1600/on2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFiG9vn6z_Y/Vg3MKXPM0GI/AAAAAAAAFWE/ysMZ-8kfzCM/s400/on2.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(picture #2)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IfY4bt1gHZk/Vg3MIxtz6zI/AAAAAAAAFVo/3LD6vqqfEbc/s1600/image1%2B%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IfY4bt1gHZk/Vg3MIxtz6zI/AAAAAAAAFVo/3LD6vqqfEbc/s400/image1%2B%25281%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Here's my cheeky Charlie using his PODD to let me know that he's trashed his playroom. It goes something like this....'throw' (laughter), stuff gets dumped out of the toy box, 'throw' (more squeals of delight), more stuff hurled, 'throw', 'throw', 'throw' (uncontrollable giggles), the dog gets covered in soft toys....thanks for the heads up buddy! Charlie is 7, we are in the UK.&nbsp;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Charlie's mom also shared this great video about what PODD/AAC means to them!&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwPTLWSg8w4&amp;feature=youtu.be</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qM9BEptpFWM/Vg3MI7LBZwI/AAAAAAAAFVY/lfOpo5K27p0/s1600/image1%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qM9BEptpFWM/Vg3MI7LBZwI/AAAAAAAAFVY/lfOpo5K27p0/s400/image1%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><i>Lily Grace, a PODD user in San Francisco, telling her parents to hurry up and get her on the train!&nbsp;</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><i><br /></i></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRDpW5fa5EA/Vg3MJLohwOI/AAAAAAAAFVw/SmZ9DkBPfyA/s1600/image1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZRDpW5fa5EA/Vg3MJLohwOI/AAAAAAAAFVw/SmZ9DkBPfyA/s320/image1.JPG" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nico, 4, on his favorite slide! Nico has Angelman Syndrome and has been using Speak for Yourself for just over a year.</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m35VJFzVUm4/Vg3MJgmq0cI/AAAAAAAAFV0/z0EywzskI7Y/s1600/image4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m35VJFzVUm4/Vg3MJgmq0cI/AAAAAAAAFV0/z0EywzskI7Y/s320/image4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<i>Nico using the light tech printout of his homepage during water play!</i><br /><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HVCcIqt6OIE/Vg3MGq2V8FI/AAAAAAAAFUw/eaZpI3g0oaY/s1600/IMG_2050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HVCcIqt6OIE/Vg3MGq2V8FI/AAAAAAAAFUw/eaZpI3g0oaY/s400/IMG_2050.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Harry from Australia chatting with his PODD Compass app in the car. Now he can chat about trucks and buses to his heart's content and direct the music choices. So it's The Wiggles on replay!&nbsp;</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Check out Harry's mom's blog page here:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Give-the-boy-a-chance/919532388105983" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>pages/Give-the-boy-a-chance/<wbr></wbr>919532388105983</a></span><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vZ3Th12QJLE/Vg3MGyLYkpI/AAAAAAAAFU8/PJgo50KNdeM/s1600/IMG_2200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vZ3Th12QJLE/Vg3MGyLYkpI/AAAAAAAAFU8/PJgo50KNdeM/s400/IMG_2200.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is Lemmy, aged 4, with his little brother Linus, 1 year old, shopping in target. Lemmy likes to use his talker to make excuses to hurry up, like being hungry or tired. Sometimes he complains he's bored. Lemmy uses speak for yourself on an iPad Air 2 in a gripcase.</span></span></i></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DoiHvPquBPM/Vg3MHBeZ2dI/AAAAAAAAFVE/tEkxwcbwyW0/s1600/IMG_3931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DoiHvPquBPM/Vg3MHBeZ2dI/AAAAAAAAFVE/tEkxwcbwyW0/s400/IMG_3931.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mirabel, age 4, eating a quick lunch between therapies and using Speak for Yourself. Her little sister (17 months) demands a talker too and uses SfY on the mini.</span></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nJkDdRvYTkI/Vg3MKypavEI/AAAAAAAAFWY/Uak-iRCwEAM/s1600/photo%2B%252844%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nJkDdRvYTkI/Vg3MKypavEI/AAAAAAAAFWY/Uak-iRCwEAM/s400/photo%2B%252844%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is Emiko,7, using her LAMP app in the ball-pool last Saturday, in Devon, UK.</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--6CX7VQoL9Q/Vg5cRZ3Fc6I/AAAAAAAAFW8/ueCDrQtU63Q/s1600/IMG_4104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--6CX7VQoL9Q/Vg5cRZ3Fc6I/AAAAAAAAFW8/ueCDrQtU63Q/s400/IMG_4104.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><i style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Maya and I working together to program new words in Speak for Yourself on her iPad mini.&nbsp;</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Thank you all :) Snap some AAC pictures this weekend and start sending in your submissions for next Friday!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-15046835413710169772015-10-01T07:45:00.000-04:002015-10-01T07:45:11.869-04:00Welcome to AAC Awareness Month!<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">October might be my favorite month of the year. I love the multicolor leaves, the edge of cool in the air, salted caramel mochas, all of it. And, as a bonus, it’s AAC Awareness Month!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication, if you’re new to this) is actually a topic that could use some increased awareness. People may be unable to speak their thoughts for a wide variety of reasons; and while some people use AAC 100% of the time, other people can use verbal speech for much of the time but need to switch to AAC when their ability to speak becomes inaccessible, which also happens for a variety of reasons. My first introduction to AAC was in learning about Stephen Hawking, but “that guy with the computer voice in a wheelchair” was kind of all I knew . . . until I had a child who couldn’t speak.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">In celebration of AAC, and in the spirit of raising awareness, I’ll be doing a month of (almost) daily AAC related posts. In the spirit of maintaining the illusion of organization, each day will have a theme. In the spirit of making this project possible for me (in addition to my mom and grad student duties) there will be a combination of posts, sharing previous posts, and Facebook activity.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">This year the general theme for my month of AAC Awareness is not just going to be general AAC awareness, but will focus on modeling (with a few general resources thrown in). I've chosen to focus on modeling because the recent 21 Day Modeling Challenge that I hosted was very well received, and seemed to make a difference for many families (including my own!), and I'd like to keep some of that momentum going. Here's what you can expect to see each day:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hHZfXLA1G9A/Vgv3mZtkbxI/AAAAAAAAFTg/MgSklIyO2l4/s1600/Days-of-the-Week-Sticky-Notes_39986-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hHZfXLA1G9A/Vgv3mZtkbxI/AAAAAAAAFTg/MgSklIyO2l4/s320/Days-of-the-Week-Sticky-Notes_39986-l.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>*Daily Modeling Support/Chat/Inspiration:&nbsp;</b>&nbsp;I will have a modeling check-in post every night <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Uncommon-Sense-Blog-123130417730793/timeline/">on our Facebook page</a>. These typically post between 7:30-8:30pm EST and are a great place to come brag about your modeling successes, share what you're working on, post a picture, etc. (If you participated in the 21 day challenge, you are familiar with the general format of the daily FB post)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>Modeling Movie Monday</b>&nbsp; . . . a video clip (or two) of modeling in action (some old, some new)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>Toss-it-Back Tuesday&nbsp;</b>. . . a throw-back post about modeling/AAC<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>Work Together Wednesday</b>&nbsp;<b>(on FACEBOOK)</b>&nbsp;. . . on Wednesday I will post an AAC discussion topic or question <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Uncommon-Sense-Blog-123130417730793/timeline/">on our Facebook page </a>and encourage everyone to share, share, share! Challenges, tips and tricks, questions, etc.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>Thoughts on Thursday&nbsp;</b>. . . a new blog post here. These might be simple reflections about our previous week of modeling and what we are looking ahead to, or may be bigger pieces about AAC (depending on time and on my typing arm).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>#AACfamily Friday</b>&nbsp;. . . a compilation of pictures sent in by AAC users (and supporter of AAC &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;users) <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/returning-in-3-days-aac-family-fridays.html">PLEASE JOIN IN! (More information here)</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>We-have-a-life-too Weekend</b>&nbsp;. . . in which nothing gets posted here, because we are too busy. (But&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; there will still be AAC stuff shared on the blog's Facebook page&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; over the weekend!)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">Happy AAC Awareness Month!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-77381605734171226382015-09-29T19:35:00.002-04:002015-09-29T19:35:41.765-04:00Returning in 3 days---AAC Family Fridays!Every Friday in the month of October (AAC Awareness Month) I will be bringing back #AACfamily Fridays. Please see the post below (re-run from last year) for more information. Email your pictures in today!<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />My daughter uses a talker to communicate. Nothing delights her more than seeing other children, or adults, who also use talkers to communicate. She doesn’t care which app they’re toting around, which dedicated device is mounted to their chair, whether they gravitate towards low or high tech . . . she just likes seeing people who speak with things other than speech. &nbsp;She sees it, recognizes it, and connects with it . . . these alternative communicators who she sees as just like her. She’s eager (sometimes too eager) to check out their systems, to hear their voices and see how their words are organized. She’s excited to see other AAC users. She doesn’t judge their systems, or remark that perhaps they should change their vocabulary layout or move onto a bigger grid, or get a different case for their iPads.<br /><br />She sees another AAC user and she celebrates.<br /><br />We AAC families are, well, a type of extended family. We are lumped together in the public eye: people who “use some device to talk” (or people who have a family member who uses something to talk, or therapists who are often seen using devices to talk as they model and plan).<br /><br />We are bound together. An #AACfamily.<br /><br />We are proud AAC users, or we are parents who have fought to provide our children with voice, or we are siblings who have learned to speak the language system that our sibling uses, &nbsp;or we are clinicians who have laid awake at night thinking of what will work for their clients.<br /><br />We are #AACfamily.<br /><br />Speak for Yourself users, Proloquo2Go users, LAMP users, TouchChat users, PODD users . . . I’m looking at you.<br /><br />PECS users, Tobii users, Dynavox users, PRC users . . . I’m looking at you.<br /><br />GoTalk Now users, TechSpeak users, AutisMate users, Aacorn users, users of the apps and systems that are escaping my tired mind . . . I’m looking at you.<br /><br />Therapists, huddled over your iPads and programming, ripping up binders and duct taping and laminating into the wee hours of the morning &nbsp;. . . I’m looking at you.<br /><br />We are family, united in our need for communication modifications. We are family, united in our passion for presuming competence. We are family, united in our challenges: did you remember to plug in your child’s voice and charge it tonight? Do you spend way too much time trying to figure out appropriate amplification? Do you think to yourself “seriously, we should own stock in laminating pouches and velcro?”<br /><br />Our “nonverbal” (ha) children have so much in common. So much. And, by extension, so do we. We share the challenges we face, the triumphs we share, the doubts, the IEP goals, the worries over whether this year’s classroom staff will model language enthusiastically.<br /><br />We share the moment when our child first said something with their talker that they couldn’t have said without it.<br /><br />We share the way we teach extended family members about the importance of modeling, the way we see the AAC siblings start to use a talker and think about meaningful peer models, the time we spend online reaching out to new users and saying “no, seriously, AAC won’t impede speech.”<br /><br />We are #AAC family. We may speak different symbol languages, but we are in this together.<br />We may use different devices, we may have different vocabulary philosophies, we may all feel passionately about our personal preferences . . . but our differences, in a global view, aren’t so great. Compared to the general public, we certainly have more in common than not.<br /><br />And so, happy almost AAC awareness month to you, my family J<br /><br />October is AAC Awareness Month, and I’m declaring Friday to be #AACfamily day. Let’s come together to celebrate AAC users and raise awareness about AAC! Here’s how it works:<br /><br />1. Email me an AAC related photo (uncommonfeedback@gmail.com). Here are some ideas: your AAC user using their device (or with their device), siblings or families using the device, your device charging, your PODD book resting overnight, your PEC making supplies strewn across your kitchen table, a photo of your laminator in use, (professionals: your devices charging, the gadget you might be hoarding, stacks of folders that you’re putting reports into) . . .anything AAC related. Anything.<br /><br />2. Give me a little info, if you want it shared. In general, it's fun to know which system is being used and where in the world you're located. (If you have a label you would like me to use, eg “John climbing a mountain with his talker!” then please include it. If the photo comes with an email that says "Katie at the beach with her iPad." then I will assume that's what I should post with the picture.)<br /><br />3. If you have an AAC related link that you would like to share, include it in the email. I will include links to anything AAC related: a blog, a Facebook page, a twitter account, a Pinterest page, a website (app/product related, clinic related, whatever), a youtube channel, a Facebook users’ group, your favorite AAC product’s page----if it’s related to AAC, and you want me to share it with your photo, I'll put it up!<br /><br />4. If you would like to double share, please feel free to share pictures, links, anything on Fridays in October with the hashtag #AACfamily &nbsp;on your twitter or Facebook pages (for FB users: you’ll need to set your post to “public” if you want it to appear when people search for #AACfamily on Facebook)<br /><br />5. Spread the word. The more, the merrier. Share this with your therapists (or your clients), in users groups, on FB/Twitter, with your AAC friends. We need to stand together, to celebrate together, and to spread the word (and the love) together. I want to see users of every device, every app, every language system, represented every Friday! I want to see therapists, users, families, friends, adventures, anything! Whatever differences we have, we have more in common. Let’s come together as users of augmentative and alternative communication systems!<br /><br />*There are 5 Fridays in October and each of them will be #AACfamily Friday. &nbsp;Photos must be received by 8:00pm (EST) Thursday night in order to post on the following day.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ITvnCmZjbgM/VgsfsZHziDI/AAAAAAAAFTI/cy-6LRnQO6A/s1600/971009_577926342251196_540470376_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ITvnCmZjbgM/VgsfsZHziDI/AAAAAAAAFTI/cy-6LRnQO6A/s400/971009_577926342251196_540470376_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">My #AACfamily&nbsp;</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cF2FxiO6kcI/Vgsf_svS_UI/AAAAAAAAFTQ/i-HTjSg8DdY/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cF2FxiO6kcI/Vgsf_svS_UI/AAAAAAAAFTQ/i-HTjSg8DdY/s400/IMG_1286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-68693597797645471572015-09-07T20:14:00.001-04:002015-09-07T20:14:07.972-04:0021 Days of AAC Challenge (the whole thing)This post is the summation of the <u style="font-weight: bold;">21 Days of AAC Modeling Challenge</u>&nbsp;that I just finished. <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/08/21-days-of-aac-challenge.html">This link </a>will bring you back to the post that introduces the challenge and explains the logic behind it. Below I am copying &amp; pasting my daily Facebook status updates so that I'll have it all in one spot. The hyperlink for each day will take you to the original Facebook post, in case you'd like to see the conversation and sharing that happened each day.<br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=934010016642825&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day One</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">I've been increasing my modeling for the past 3 days (Maya's summer break started on Wednesday, which kind of inspired the timing of this challenge) so I have a bit of a jumpstart. On day 3 my kids are responding in a noticeably different way, somewhat intrigued when I reach for a talker. They are pausing to listen and watch more, which is great.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">I'm sharing the modeling that I did while playing Memory with the kids this morning. We<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">&nbsp;are just introducing contractions, so you'll see that the screenshot I'm sharing says "It's your turn." Other things that I said included:<br />-It's my turn/his turn/her turn.<br />-That's not a match<br />-Awesome match<br />-No match<br />-Whose turn is it<br />-Sneakarooni<br />-No stealing my match you little thief</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">Simple. Easy. If I were modifying for a newer user, I would drop "it's" to model "my turn/your turn." That could be further simplified by asking "Whose turn?" verbally and then modeling "mine" or the players' names. Modeling for matches could just become saying "Yes, a match!" or "No match" and modeling the yes/no buttons. That also could be verbally asking "is there a match?" and then model using the yes/no to answer.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">For more advanced users, the possible targets are kind of limitless if you think creatively. If you wanted to focus more on social language, you could skip modeling the game play and stick to things like "Awesome!" "Good job" "You have a great memory" "Nice teamwork" etc. Adjectives could have been targeted by describing the items on the card ("that looks like a FRIENDLY dragon"). Verbs could be targeted by narrating the actions used in the game (OPEN the box, FLIP the cards, PUT them back in the line, TAKE your turn, etc) and more advanced verb forms could be modeled as well ("I just flipped over 2 cards but didn't see a match").</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">The point is kind of that you can pick any activity and model simply or model more complicated-ly . . . but don't get overwhelmed by the possibilities. I kept things simple (there was some card stealing and refereeing that needed to be done along with modeling) but I was actively engaged with a talker, and that's fantastic.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-66xS0M8xs_c/VezVdR_DDyI/AAAAAAAAFMg/kEdm0Kj2ukE/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-66xS0M8xs_c/VezVdR_DDyI/AAAAAAAAFMg/kEdm0Kj2ukE/s320/IMG_1090.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s_kzRSpJK54/VezVeZc9AiI/AAAAAAAAFMo/94UQWOvy1YM/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s_kzRSpJK54/VezVeZc9AiI/AAAAAAAAFMo/94UQWOvy1YM/s320/IMG_1091.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=934438883266605&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 2</a></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">One thing that I've noticed about modeling more is that the simple act of wearing/transporting the iPad around makes me much more likely to use it. The difference between having it in the stroller vs. having it on my body, or having it in the room vs. having it at my fingertips . . . it's a big difference. It's kind of like instead of needing a reason to cross the room and get the iPad to model, I would need a compelling reason NOT t<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">o model, since it's already right there ready to be used.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">(picture 1) We went for a long walk and to a playground this morning, and the kids didn't want to hold the talkers in the stroller while they were having a snack. Usually I would stick them both under the stroller . . . but today I wore one instead. As it turned out, there were two times that we paused on our walk and I could quickly model ("Are you going to use your spray bottles?" and something that I don't remember). Also, the act of wearing the talker had me (strangely) thinking about whether I knew the locations of the words that I was saying. So when I was pushing the stroller and said "We're going to have fun!" I was mentally tracing the path through the talker to build that sentence. We also added the words "cicada" and the name of a new playground to the talker&nbsp;<i class="_4-k1 img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b sx_5371b4" style="background-image: url(https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yx/r/pimRBh7B6ER.png); background-position: 0px -340px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"><u style="left: -999999px; position: absolute;">smile emoticon</u></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">(picture 2) Later in the afternoon we went out with spray bottles to squirt things in the neighborhood, and I wore the talker to model again. Nothing profound, but again---having the talker right there made me feel like "if it's hanging around me I may as well use it."</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2aY87PCnfkk/VezWBljzcEI/AAAAAAAAFMw/KJ9yjdQDg78/s1600/FullSizeRender%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2aY87PCnfkk/VezWBljzcEI/AAAAAAAAFMw/KJ9yjdQDg78/s320/FullSizeRender%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ASURc8cwaqk/VezWB2eVitI/AAAAAAAAFM0/2-t9qTGtStI/s1600/IMG_1106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ASURc8cwaqk/VezWB2eVitI/AAAAAAAAFM0/2-t9qTGtStI/s320/IMG_1106.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/934947543215739/?type=1&amp;theater">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 3</a></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">The Good: We hit the farmer's market this morning, as we do most Sundays. We always have the talkers with us, but I don't usually wear one around while Maya and I shop (Dave and Will usually wander to kick a ball around in the back). Today I wore a talker, and had a chance to model "the biggest beet" (seriously, it was the biggest beet ever), to talk about Maya's yellow vegetable selections (she picked yellow carrots and yellow tomatoe<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">s) and to comment "so many colors!" (shown in the picture below). We also noticed that we needed to add "nectarine" and "overflowing"-due to an overflowing garbage can. When I programmed that in Dave pointed out that overflowing is also a verb, so we also added the other forms (overflow, overflows, overflowed).</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">The Bad: Later in the afternoon we went to Target, and I confidently entered the store with a talker around my neck. And then I didn't use it once. Because crowds and noise and blocking-the-aisles and things-to-touch and things-to-see and chaos and I'm-not-stopping-right-here-to-model-because-you-don't-care-that-much-and-we-just-need-to-get-out-of-here. But maybe I'll try to bring the kids back on a weekday morning, when things are quieter, and I'll try then.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">The Numbers Don't Lie: As I added more words tonight (fake, fakes, faking, faked, faker, and +rooni---- that last one is because I like to add -rooni to words, and now she can too. Ex: fakerooni, stinkyrooni, sillyrooni, etc) I thought to myself "I really wish I had thought to keep count of how many new words I open/add over the course of this challenge" . . . and then I realized that because of the word counter in our app, and the frequency with which I save back-ups, I may actually have a count. I looked back to Tuesday night (the start of Maya's break) and I had saved a vocab file. On Wednesday I started to up my modeling game, so today is kind of day 5 for me (it took me two days to think up the challenge).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">In the past 5 days, I've added or opened 60 words. 60! It's so easy to see what words aren't there when you start to use a talker yourself.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">This isn't to suggest that everyone start adding words as-fast-as-you-can, or that success = adding more words, but it's been eye opening for me. Maya isn't overwhelmed by the addition of words, and she really enjoys helping to add them, pick a location for each one, select and image to go with it, etc. And it's great to keep adding words that are kind of fun and colorful, which are sometimes much more motivating for kids to jump in and use than the run-of-the-mill wants-and-needs stuff.</div></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IZZ3tOZi_lc/VezXBy8wSdI/AAAAAAAAFNE/NLpFYuJoEWM/s1600/IMG_1110.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IZZ3tOZi_lc/VezXBy8wSdI/AAAAAAAAFNE/NLpFYuJoEWM/s320/IMG_1110.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=935430619834098&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 4</a></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Today's update really comes from Maya, not from my modeling. I kept up with modeling throughout the day (at home, the library, the grocery store) but the more interesting parts of today were when Maya decided to talk. After nearly a week of upping my modeling work, today brought a jump in Maya's talker use as well. I started modeling contractions 6 days ago, and I haven't seen much interest in using them from Maya-until today. Thi<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">s morning I heard her talking in bed a bit, so at breakfast I opened up our history feature and saw . . . well, some interesting things (pic 1). First, I saw that she had independently formed a great sentence that included a contraction: "Sulley it's me." Next, I saw that she formed this sentence at 3 in the morning. She actually used the talker from a bit before 3am until 4am, and then went back to sleep. She told me that she was talking to Sulley (the monster from Monsters Inc). Once I got past the completely creepy idea that Maya was talking to monsters at 3am, I was psyched about the contraction. (Further inquiry yielded that it wasn't real, it was pretend, and that Sulley said "I love you Maya", so at least he's friendly . . .)</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">At lunch Maya made a few nice sentences, too. One was about this morning's activities (pic 2) . . . we walked to the library and read some books. Reading is a great modeling activity---so easy to talk about the books (verbs that the characters are doing, attributes that describe them, sight words or new words in the text to add).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">She also made this amazing one about Sulley the monster returning tonight (pic 3). "He'll" = future tense contraction! Amazing! "Visit" = I had no idea where that word was, I was so impressed that she did. (Also, really creepy.)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">So that's two spontaneous contractions after 6 days of not seeming to pay too much attention to how I modeled them . . . big win today&nbsp;<i class="_4-k1 img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b sx_5371b4" style="background-image: url(https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yx/r/pimRBh7B6ER.png); background-position: 0px -340px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"><u style="left: -999999px; position: absolute;">smile emoticon</u></i>&nbsp;We also added the word "diarrhea" (which we read in the book "Today I Feel Silly") . . . which the kids thought was hilarious.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cFqz2OAgcs4/VezYwzpyWEI/AAAAAAAAFNQ/iPM2outmUoY/s1600/IMG_1086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cFqz2OAgcs4/VezYwzpyWEI/AAAAAAAAFNQ/iPM2outmUoY/s640/IMG_1086.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bPeaGYjifY/VezY2vLT8lI/AAAAAAAAFNY/ujpjU26ZJu0/s1600/IMG_1117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2bPeaGYjifY/VezY2vLT8lI/AAAAAAAAFNY/ujpjU26ZJu0/s400/IMG_1117.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TBlXX3wQ0o8/VezY4Gl-ZWI/AAAAAAAAFNg/McAH6BuUaGI/s1600/IMG_1116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TBlXX3wQ0o8/VezY4Gl-ZWI/AAAAAAAAFNg/McAH6BuUaGI/s400/IMG_1116.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=936270366416790&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 6</a></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Today was a sloppy day. We spent the (very hot) morning at the playground, where I added two new words (breeze and breezy) and modeled a bit, but not much. Despite knowing that having the talker on my body increases my modeling, I shoved it under the stroller while walking because it was 90 degrees, over 90% humidity, and I was pushing 100 lbs of double strollerness up and down hills. The pull of the talker strap on my sweaty neck was&nbsp;<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">the last straw for me.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">In the afternoon we played at home. We worked together to make a menu for the kids' play restaurant (that involved lots of AAC use) and then I narrated while the kids' played. At one point I realized that new-to-modeling families (or families currently in a am-I-even-doing-this-right place, where we all end up from time to time) may imagine that other parents are cracker-jack-modeling-wizards . . . but we all have our highlights and lowlights.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">So I grabbed my phone and recorded a few minutes to show what modeling often looks like when my kids are otherwise engaged (in this case, eating pretzels and playing with toy food)----I'm talking to myself, they are occasionally glancing my way. This is no pressure modeling----at best, Maya is gleaning something from what I'm saying, or may turn and use the talker spontaneously because I'm holding it out and ready and interacting with it. At worst, I'm showing respect for the talker by choosing to use it, and practicing finding words (upside down, in this case).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">I'm not forcing her to engage, making her use it, or saying "look here! look here!"----all of that, to me, would make AAC feel like work, an obligation, something that makes her stop playing and forces her to do something else. Sometimes I'll call out "Hey, look, I found that word!" or something, but if she doesn't look I just move on . . .</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div></div></div></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A8CDN5m-KKM?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/936728373037656/?type=1&amp;theater">21 Days of AAC: Day 7</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">First, let me say that I am really enjoying this challenge. I am reaching for the talker more, partially because I know that I am coming here to report out at the end of the day, which keeps it near the front of my mind. Aside from my own increase in modeling, I love hearing your stories---which keep me motivated and also help me think of new things to try, new words to add, etc. I find myself checking FB on my phone more often between posting&nbsp;<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">and going to bed, anxious to see if anyone else has shared&nbsp;<i class="_4-k1 img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b sx_5371b4" style="background-image: url(https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yx/r/pimRBh7B6ER.png); background-position: 0px -340px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"><u style="left: -999999px; position: absolute;">smile emoticon</u></i></span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">I took the kids to the mall this afternoon and managed to say some new stuff, including the phrase "this way." I'm not sure I had ever used the word "way" before, but "this way" "that way" "which way" "out of my way" "you're in the way" "way over there" are all really versatile and conversational, and I plan on targeting "way" more tomorrow (particularly since, as I write this, I'm struggling to recall which screen "way" is on*).</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">I had grand plans of going on the ferris wheel and modeling during the ride about how it was fast and fun and high, etc. Instead, Maya had a bit of a sensory overload, which led to us programming the new button "too much". Since I'm not sure whether it's too exciting, too scary, too overwhelming, or too . . . I don't know what . . . "too much" seemed like a safe bet. Now I just need to remember to model it during those overloaded times.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2bue5gzyi-Y/Veze0IgOriI/AAAAAAAAFNw/u_EVTgaJ6nY/s1600/IMG_1135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2bue5gzyi-Y/Veze0IgOriI/AAAAAAAAFNw/u_EVTgaJ6nY/s320/IMG_1135.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=937171826326644&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 8</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Today was a challenging day. I spent the morning in an orientation at Will's preschool, and returned home in the middle of lunchtime. Then came rest time, during which Maya did not rest, and the afternoon was filled with some behavioral stuff and some hands-on parenting that made modeling challenging. I know, in theory, that challenging medical and behavioral times are exactly when modeling is extra meaningful and essential (teaching t<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">o use language to work through challenges rather than behavior) . . . but I also know, in reality, that sometimes one's hands are just too full, and one's mind just too stretched, to deal with also managing an iPad and speaker and strap and don't-step-on-that and wait-now-you're-twisted-in-the-cord and argh-let-me-lift-you-here-and-put-you-over-here-and-I'm-throwing-this-gd-iPad-over-that-way-because-I-just-can't.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; display: inline;"><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;*N&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/aacparentingforreal?source=feed_text&amp;story_id=937171826326644" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">‪#‎</span><span class="_58cm">AACparentingforreal‬</span></a>&nbsp;<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;*N&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/gripcasebounces?source=feed_text&amp;story_id=937171826326644" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">‪#‎</span><span class="_58cm">Gripcasebounces‬</span></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Then we went to a barbecue for Dave's work folks. Maya loves learning people's names, so leading up to the bbq, in on the car ride there, we practiced asking people what their names were, and introducing ourselves. She was ready! She was excited! She didn't use the talker at all the whole time we were there!</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Tomorrow is a new day. No guilt here&nbsp;:)</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=937592472951246&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 9</a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">We went to the zoo today, and I had some fun in the petting zoo area modeling what the animals were thinking (primarily "I'm hungry" "We're hungry" "I need food" etc). I took picture #1, of Maya feeding the goat and the modeling iPad hanging down at goat-speaking-level, thinking that that would be my AAC modeling pic for the day. But then things got interesting&nbsp;<i class="_4-k1 img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b sx_5371b4" style="background-image: url(https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yx/r/pimRBh7B6ER.png); background-position: 0px -340px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"><u style="left: -999999px; position: absolute;">smile emoticon</u></i></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Maya fed an alpaca and then turned away from him, which he a<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">pparently did not like, as he stretched out and bit her arm. There were tears, and I quickly said that we should yell at the alpaca with the talker and tell him that he wasn't nice. (Picture #2) The text reads "No biting you stinky alpaca. You are not nice." (Picture #3)</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">Then things got really ridiculous, as apparently alpacas don't appreciate being called stinky. The biter's buddy ran over, sniffed the iPad and listened to the sentence, and then bit the talker! (Picture #4 and #5---you can see the bottom blue bar of the Gripcase being pulled down in the last picture) Maya thought that this was hilarious&nbsp;<i class="_4-k1 img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b sx_5371b4" style="background-image: url(https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yx/r/pimRBh7B6ER.png); background-position: 0px -340px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"><u style="left: -999999px; position: absolute;">smile emoticon</u></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">From Maya: Today at dinner, she used the talker to make a few big spontaneous interesting sentences with Dave---about a friend from school, a favorite song, and the fact that she wanted a "long" bath (in response to him mentioning that he would fill the tub for a quick bath). He said to me, "This might just be a coincidence, but she just said a lot . . ." Not coincidence, most likely, probably the increased talker use around here. Yay modeling!</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70J2FcjpQ34/VezghrQScUI/AAAAAAAAFN8/Zl8DC6f09Tk/s1600/IMG_1155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-70J2FcjpQ34/VezghrQScUI/AAAAAAAAFN8/Zl8DC6f09Tk/s400/IMG_1155.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;">The goat said <i>"I'm hungry"</i> so Maya fed him<i>.</i></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IKy2gR9-2D0/VezgmRlMIHI/AAAAAAAAFOE/2BcqWPV_ssg/s1600/IMG_3683.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IKy2gR9-2D0/VezgmRlMIHI/AAAAAAAAFOE/2BcqWPV_ssg/s400/IMG_3683.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;Talking back to the biter.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNALfZPAzeA/Vezgm5d3rcI/AAAAAAAAFOI/aC02pTDw0J8/s1600/IMG_3683%2B%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZNALfZPAzeA/Vezgm5d3rcI/AAAAAAAAFOI/aC02pTDw0J8/s640/IMG_3683%2B%25282%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><i>"No biting you stinky alpaca. You are not nice."</i>&nbsp;</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OqYn3oeGBqY/VezgrDmu71I/AAAAAAAAFOU/2DECoeJnDto/s1600/IMG_3686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OqYn3oeGBqY/VezgrDmu71I/AAAAAAAAFOU/2DECoeJnDto/s400/IMG_3686.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;">A friend runs over to investigate. "Hey lady, did you just call my buddy stinky?"&nbsp;</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--PbdwQ5PTdk/VezgsVFtTrI/AAAAAAAAFOc/NebZ3ADasYY/s1600/IMG_3687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--PbdwQ5PTdk/VezgsVFtTrI/AAAAAAAAFOc/NebZ3ADasYY/s400/IMG_3687.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: center;">"Then I will bite this thing." (You can see the bottom bar of the Gripcase being pulled down.)</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/938094309567729/?type=1&amp;theater">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 10</a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Two weeks ago we attended the AAC Institute Camp in Pittsburgh. One of my biggest take-aways from camp was the somewhat unspoken, but universally accepted, idea that modeling is normal and is happening all the time. In a hotel surrounded by other AAC families it was really easy to model, but it really hit home for me when we took a group field trip to the mall. I modeled on that mall trip in Pittsburgh like a pro, but realized that I&nbsp;<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">tend not to model at all when we are at our own local mall.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">I thought about why this was the case, and I realized that it's because I tend to favor a low profile. Wearing an iPad is unusual (sometimes I think nothing of it, sometimes I see some glances and step outside of myself and realize just how strange it must look). Bending over and drawing the attention of my children to an iPad, rather than pointing out things around them or just chatting, must look very odd. Am I tutoring them? Are we playing some sort of video game? Why aren't we just enjoying our surroundings? Why are people so addicted to their screens these days?</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">(By the way, professionals, I think that this may be a big difference for families: if you're modeling out in public you may not feel awkward, because it's your job. I think it may be easier not to feel weird when it's your job, not actually part of your identity. When I think about modeling for other kids I don't feel self-conscious at all, but in our local playgrounds and grocery store and on the street and at Starbucks and when I run into parents from Will's playgroup and everywhere, I am becoming that-lady-who-wears-and-is-constantly-playing-with-an-iPad.)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Once I realized that my modeling was being negatively impacted by my desire not to draw attention to myself, the solution was obvious: to surrender any last bits of self-consciousness that I had and go for it.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">So here I am today at the playground, being the lady-who-wears-and-plays-with-the-iPad. The kids are filling up cups of water from the sprinkler and carrying them to dump down the drain and stairs that are to my left. When they walk by me I modeled things like "You filled the cups" "Don't spill them" "Dump them over there" etc. We added the words dump-dumps-dumping-dumped.</div></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4iAWDOVTydI/VezlVyTtGSI/AAAAAAAAFOo/7GqU4r9B0Vg/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4iAWDOVTydI/VezlVyTtGSI/AAAAAAAAFOo/7GqU4r9B0Vg/s400/IMG_1180.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=938534676190359&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC: Day 11</a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Halfway through, officially, and the changes here are undeniable across the board. Here's an update, family member by family member:</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-My AAC vocabulary has seriously jumped. I'm fast, my finger hovering above the next word and waiting for the screens to load and catch up (I'm still using an iPad2 and Maya has the original mini---unfortunately, these processors are a bit older and slower than is ideal). Sometimes when I talk I find myself thinki<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">ng through the sequences to form the sentence via AAC in my head, and I wonder (a lot) if Maya does that, too.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">-Will has increased his overall talker use (greatly) and is trying to remember and repeat sentences that he's seen used earlier in the day/week.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-Dave's AAC use has increased significantly. At dinner for the past 2 nights more than half of his "speech" has been via AAC.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-Maya is watching now, a lot. She's not ignoring my AAC use or fighting it---she's come to accept, I guess, that this is just a thing that I do now. She watches me when I'm using new words or saying something she she might not expect, and other times she does her own thing until I activate the sentence strip and then she'll look (either at the icons I've chosen or reading the sentence or both . . . I imagine that, like me, she may read the words and then examine the icons for the ones that she may not know the location of, but that's only a guess). When she uses the talker I can see bits and pieces of things I've modeled, and I see more sophisticated sentences, but I would say that the difference in her use is in quality, not quantity. That is pretty par for the course for Maya----she is always always learning, but we often sit for a while without much evidence that she's absorbing and applying all of it until--whammy--we unexpectedly see it some day.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Today I was gone for half the day with Will (first day of preschool), then she had speech, then the day was hit or miss. There was some modeling at the playground, a bit at the grocery store, some around dinner time. Nothing really noteworthy, just plodding along.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/939180669459093/?type=1&amp;theater">21 Days of AAC: Day 12</a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Will started preschool (for real, without mommy) today. I need to be on campus when he's in school, but Maya doesn't start school for another week and a half--so today was the first of several fill-time-on-campus days for Maya and me. We spent a lot of time in the lounge for speech students, which was lovely and quiet and empty (classes don't start for a few days) and we colored, made lists, read books, walked around, took pictures of things, a<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">nd had lunch. She loved the college . . . primarily because she thought it was like the school that Mike and Sulley go to in Monsters University, and I think she was hoping to spot a monster on campus.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">I modeled throughout the day, she made some sentences that she wanted me to add to a list. We added the word "calm" (Will calmed down quickly after we left) and the name of some cartoon airplane. She's way excited to return tomorrow, and she wants to do some tracing and writing and I think there are some fun opportunities to use the talker to share some story ideas.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Nothing exciting, but good consistent modeling . . . and I think she's ready to teach a class :)</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DQh602wZ8VY/Ve2wNOfbbZI/AAAAAAAAFO4/dLTrsa7qhPM/s1600/IMG_1208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DQh602wZ8VY/Ve2wNOfbbZI/AAAAAAAAFO4/dLTrsa7qhPM/s400/IMG_1208.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=939693179407842&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 13</a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Maya and I spent another day on campus while Will tackled preschool. We had a great morning doing something that is *highly* motivated for her: writing. She really, really loves it when people write things for her: lists, sentences, anything. While her AAC use for communication favors speed (as in, she will often use minimal words to get her points across), she will actually make phrases and sentences if she knows that I will write th<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">em down. I found a workbook of writing prompts and questions for preschoolers-2nd graders and she was dying to get at it.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">I used the talker to ask the questions or get her to expand upon her answers (by adding "why" do a lot of questions). She used Mini to answer me, and the questions. I loved doing this activity with her because it centered not around functional communication, but around imaginative communication---which, I think, it something we don't do nearly enough. I'd venture to guess that a lot of AAC users could use more imaginative talk, both at home and at school (although maybe I'm just falling shorter than usual on that front). I'm going to make sure increase the number of imaginative discussions that we have.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">I think my favorite one today was about the sad zebra (see pictures).</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NbYnJLNWWYg/Ve2w3NXthaI/AAAAAAAAFPE/X2As4Gr7KMk/s1600/IMG_1237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NbYnJLNWWYg/Ve2w3NXthaI/AAAAAAAAFPE/X2As4Gr7KMk/s640/IMG_1237.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: center;">Me<i>: What do you like to do in the winter?</i></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: center;">Maya<i>: Go have fun.</i></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-39Wzm91feDA/Ve2w7s8rAgI/AAAAAAAAFPI/qL9Mc_pRAT4/s1600/IMG_1240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-39Wzm91feDA/Ve2w7s8rAgI/AAAAAAAAFPI/qL9Mc_pRAT4/s640/IMG_1240.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;">Me<i>: What do you like to do in the spring?</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><i>&nbsp;</i>Maya<i>: Ride a bike.</i></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kHdrwEuMKjg/Ve2xZXoITkI/AAAAAAAAFPQ/mWDC2vVDcKs/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kHdrwEuMKjg/Ve2xZXoITkI/AAAAAAAAFPQ/mWDC2vVDcKs/s400/IMG_1242.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Maya said her favorite zoo animal was a zebra (hence the stripes) and then drew a sad face on him. (She loves sad faces). I wrote "a sad zebra", she thought it was hilarious.</span></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cVFXPVKq_Sc/Ve2xdYgPIlI/AAAAAAAAFPY/1WMgal5q9A0/s1600/IMG_1243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cVFXPVKq_Sc/Ve2xdYgPIlI/AAAAAAAAFPY/1WMgal5q9A0/s640/IMG_1243.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">After drawing the zebra:</span></div><span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" style="display: inline; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">Me<i>: Why's the zebra sad?</i></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;">Maya<span style="font-style: italic;">: Because he wants to eat</span></div><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Awesome answer. I'm pretty sad when I want to eat, too.</div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></span><br /><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=940219689355191&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 14</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" style="display: inline; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><i><span class="hasCaption"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span></span></i></span></div><div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">We spent the first half of the day at the zoo (no alpaca bites, although a goat got Maya's finger). I had the talker on and available, but we were moving at a good clip (and it was a bit hot to stop and model too often) so most of the AAC use was when we stopped for breaks, or during shady exhibits. At a snack break I modeled "Next we're going to see the dog" . . . and the kids laughed. So I deleted 'dog' and said "Next we're going to<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">&nbsp;see the cat", etc etc until I said the correct sentence (tiger). Then Will came over and wanted to join in, while Maya and my mom looked on.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">While walking through the gorilla exhibit we passed a few waterfalls, and I checked and saw that the word 'waterfall' is missing. It's so easy to quickly check and add words if I'm already wearing the talker . . . and wearing the talker, in and of itself, is a steady reminder to check for the availability of words that I am speaking. We've now added or opened 101 words since I increased my modeling. Waterfall is a word that we've said to Maya tons of times (it's hard to even guess at quantifying that) . . . how did I never think, before now, to check if it was in her talker? I know she understands the word. I'm pretty sure she can read it. In an emergency, she may have thought to combine 'water' + 'fall' . . . but she shouldn't have to. She should have all of the words.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">(Again, your mileage may vary, but at this stage I'm not very worried about visually overwhelming Maya with crowded screens. If I notice that she's taking longer to find things I can always use color to break up/highlight/clump words.)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EmpLfGBl0DA/Ve2zp6UU50I/AAAAAAAAFPk/SUnWCFsXIbI/s1600/IMG_1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EmpLfGBl0DA/Ve2zp6UU50I/AAAAAAAAFPk/SUnWCFsXIbI/s400/IMG_1261.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;K&quot;}" style="display: inline; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q30FZM9WGrI/Ve2zraVYOvI/AAAAAAAAFPs/RpQNuVCh2oE/s1600/IMG_1260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q30FZM9WGrI/Ve2zraVYOvI/AAAAAAAAFPs/RpQNuVCh2oE/s400/IMG_1260.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/940673129309847/?type=1&amp;theater">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 15</a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Today was an errand-running day: a haircut for Will, dropping stuff off at the thrift store, Target, a grocery store trip, etc. Modeling happened a few times at Target, at home over lunch, while on a walk, and at the store . . . so, again, frequently but not constantly . . . which seems perfect for me right now.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Committing to the 21 day challenge gave me the opportunity to really sink my teeth into modeling and figure out how to make&nbsp;<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">it realistically work---which can be tricky for families, I think. When Maya first starting using AAC I was overwhelmed by modeling--when do I do it? How do I do it? What if I modeled wrong . . . would I mangle her entire language development?</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">Then, over time, her vocabulary knowledge mostly outpaced mine. When asked, she could find words that were impressively obscure. She became possessive of her device, and I wasn't used to having the modeling iPad on hand. Our AAC dynamic shifted, and I began, again, to overanalyze my place and the best way to support her. Also, honestly, I felt like I had permission to be lazy since she clearly 'knew more than I did.'</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">But that wasn't quite right, either. She may have known where 'cubicle' was, but she didn't often use sentences or long phrases. How could I know what her inner grammar was? Maybe it was fantastic, but maybe it had gaps . . . and either way, I should be modeling. It's part of my responsibility. But I would alternate between too busy and too unsure (don't get me wrong, I modeled, but not religiously) and get stuck.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Now I'm in, for 21 days, and it just has to happen. It doesn't have to be amazing, it doesn't have to be perfection. Sometimes I pick a focus (like contractions or pronouns or verbs) sometimes I just say whatever comes to mind. But it's happening and it's changing things and it's a big-but-not-big deal.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Highlight of today: opening the word 'naked' after seeing that our sticker from the grocery store said naked. Much giggling and delight when we saw that word was already in there. Also added: lean, leans, leaning, leaned.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ifYEcJ24Q-8/Ve4hxp5qSCI/AAAAAAAAFP8/8BVu5EjZ5kU/s1600/day%2B15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ifYEcJ24Q-8/Ve4hxp5qSCI/AAAAAAAAFP8/8BVu5EjZ5kU/s320/day%2B15.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=941165565927270&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 16</a></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">We spent the day in NJ, visiting my parents and enjoying the perks of having a yard (grilling, playing with a baby pool and buckets of water and mud, etc). Most of my modeling happened in the first half of the day, chatting while playing with some toys and looking at magazines, and then modeling during the hour or two we spent outside.</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">I love these pictures&nbsp;<i class="_4-k1 img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b sx_5371b4" style="background-image: url(https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yx/r/pimRBh7B6ER.png); background-position: 0px -340px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"><u style="left: -999999px; position: absolute;">smile emoticon</u></i>&nbsp;For me, they really show life in an&nbsp;<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;*N&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/aacfamily?source=feed_text&amp;story_id=941165565927270" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">‪#‎</span><span class="_58cm">AACfamily‬</span></a>. The kids wer<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">e playing with bowls and spoons and water and grass and dirt, making 'soup.' I was modeling things about their soups, holding cups, catching water, pouring water, and being silly. In some of the pictures you can easily see a tan dish towel across one of my legs, which was there so that wet fingers could quickly be swiped dry if someone with a wet hang wanted to jump in and say something. I think in these pictures I was mainly modeling things like "Oh my goodness (that's a 1 hit phrase for us) all of the soup spilled!" or "That soup tastes delicious."</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;"><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;">New words today: blast off, blast, blasts, blasting, blasted</div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DkO0YncdfjA/Ve4iZyKQHjI/AAAAAAAAFQE/chgBvK6PyT4/s1600/IMG_1286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DkO0YncdfjA/Ve4iZyKQHjI/AAAAAAAAFQE/chgBvK6PyT4/s400/IMG_1286.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;"></div><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i>"Oh my goodness, all of the soup spilled on Mommy (+'s foot)"</i></span></div><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>*</i>The words in ( ) were being put in here</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RBfQax0jYVw/Ve4ilTk66dI/AAAAAAAAFQM/C9OCM7RnccI/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RBfQax0jYVw/Ve4ilTk66dI/AAAAAAAAFQM/C9OCM7RnccI/s400/IMG_1287.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">I think this was immediately after Maya dumped soup on my foot---I was acting shocked that more soup fell and Will was refilling my cup so that I could refill Maya's bowl.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EMKl27M3m6k/Ve4iwGsnvXI/AAAAAAAAFQU/gLJdya7foiM/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EMKl27M3m6k/Ve4iwGsnvXI/AAAAAAAAFQU/gLJdya7foiM/s400/IMG_1289.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">"<i>Oh my goodness, all of the soup spilled on the octopus"</i></span><br style="text-align: left;" /><span style="text-align: left;">I was trying to entice him to go feed an octopus toy across the yard.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K5upgX2aW5E/Ve4i8ezCxVI/AAAAAAAAFQc/Uw2hY_QKpMU/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K5upgX2aW5E/Ve4i8ezCxVI/AAAAAAAAFQc/Uw2hY_QKpMU/s400/IMG_1293.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oXLyl6CudHs/Ve4i9t-zKsI/AAAAAAAAFQk/ua93MHTT4XQ/s1600/IMG_1283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oXLyl6CudHs/Ve4i9t-zKsI/AAAAAAAAFQk/ua93MHTT4XQ/s400/IMG_1283.JPG" width="323" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div></span><br /><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/941649009212259/?type=1&amp;theater">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 17</a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px; text-align: left;">This was a light modeling day. We visited with out-of-town family for breakfast, went to a birthday party, and then had kind of a lazy afternoon. There was some modeling, but it was nothing particularly special. My favorite modeled phrase was about being a "party pooper"---which was fun and also gave me the chance to model using the '+er' word ending. I like getting to use the word ending buttons because it's nice to show her how to&nbsp;<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">play with words as units.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">Tomorrow is my first day of classes (6 hours of class tomorrow---send coffee! or a seat cushion!) and Maya will spend the morning on campus with me (classes start at noon) so I anticipate much modeling in the morning.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">*Also, in a few minutes I'm going to post a little survey question about this modeling challenge, so please go look for that in case the mysterious FB algorithms only show you my posts with pictures attached.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hh2B8zP6uAE/Ve4jb_XqGYI/AAAAAAAAFQw/oOs5xugu7vM/s1600/day%2B17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hh2B8zP6uAE/Ve4jb_XqGYI/AAAAAAAAFQw/oOs5xugu7vM/s400/day%2B17.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=942187835825043&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 18</a></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Holy cow, guys, it's already Day 18. Thanks to the folks who shared their thoughts on last night's opinion poll (if you didn't chime in, it's not too late---I'd love to hear from you, too). I'm going to continue sharing modeling snippets and reflections after the close of day 21, although I need to think more about how/when/what-it-will-look-like.</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Today was my first day back in class, so I was with Maya, and modeling, in the morning.<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">&nbsp;We did some coloring and writing and tracing, and I modeled thoughts about the pictures and stories. We added: trace, traces, tracing, traced.</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;">When I started this I thought to myself "even if I forgot to model for a day it would be easy to lie and make something up" (I imagine that I just would have confessed, but the ease of lying did flit through my mind) . . . . however, I didn't anticipate how much this little project would impact me. I don't want to miss a day, and I find myself thinking "ok, what does this day look like, and where is modeling going to fit in?"</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">This is important to me. I want to make sure I model everyday. I want to make sure that it is a (high) priority not to let a day go by without Maya seeing someone else using a talker, too. This matters.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/942677872442706/?type=1&amp;theater">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 19</a><br />(the good and the confession)</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">First, the good. Maya spent the morning at school with me again, much to her delight. She now knows where all of the buildings are, has favorite hang-out spots, and delights in going on as many campus errands as possible (today we had to visit tech support, use the giant stapler at the library, and hit the bookstore). We used the talker on campus to talk about a few different things, mostly when we sat to have snack. Maya was carrying around a huge children's cookbook and we talked about what we could make this afternoon (after my class). We settled on chocolate chip cookies</span><span style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="margin-bottom: 6px;"><i class="_4-k1 img sp_fM-mz8spZ1b sx_5371b4" style="background-image: url(https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v2/yx/r/pimRBh7B6ER.png); background-position: 0px -340px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"><u style="left: -999999px; position: absolute;">smile emoticon</u></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">The pictures below were taken during cookie making, which was a great modeling activity. We talked about the ingredients and the verbs that went with them: measuring, filling, pouring, dumping. stirring, and mixing. When we used the mixer (which is old and loud) Maya jumped in to say "stop" and "go." (pictured below)</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Words added/opened: tablecloth, ingredients, eyelash</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Now, the confession. I left Mini at home this morning. Maya's talker. I left it. I had my school bag, Maya's travel bag, Will's backpack, everyone's lunches, and the blue talker----and I had put the travel strap on Mini and put it by the door---but neither one of us grabbed it. I realized midway to campus that it wasn't there.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">So, real life.&nbsp;<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;*N&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/aacfamily?source=feed_text&amp;story_id=942677872442706" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">‪#‎</span><span class="_58cm" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;">AACfamily‬</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ehLpNhdgNZU/Ve4kpwgAF2I/AAAAAAAAFQ8/9O487tbhntM/s1600/IMG_1312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ehLpNhdgNZU/Ve4kpwgAF2I/AAAAAAAAFQ8/9O487tbhntM/s320/IMG_1312.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=943118232398670&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: Day 20</a></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">Nothing profound here (besides exhaustion). After two days of class, my arm hurts a lot tonight, so I'm keeping this brief. Today I modeled in between rounds of hide-and-boo (which is like hide and go seek, except that I hide and then jump out and scare the seekers): things like "I'm going to hide again" or "I got you."</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">More modeling during pretend play with babies (about what the babies wanted, how they felt, what they needed), and<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline;">&nbsp;chit chat at mealtimes.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=943545039022656&amp;id=123130417730793">21 Days of AAC Challenge: The Finale (Day 21)</a></div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">It's been a good run, and ended on a high note. Maya and I spent the morning on campus, hanging out in the shade of the speech building. I introduced her to a color-by-number book, and we talked about how it had a key, just like maps. There was tons of modeling about the colors, following the key, directions, commenting, etc. Then we moved on to playing with category cards and talked about features that the items had in common and also differences. It was basically constant modeling for 2 hours, and it was great. We added/opened several words, but I can't remember what they were.</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">The numbers: Over the course of this increased modeling period, we added/opened a total of 136 words.</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">My (brief) reflections: Modeling makes a difference (I know, I know, we all knew this already). The ways in which it made a difference for us, however, were perhaps not the ways that a novice would hope to see . . .</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-Quantity of AAC talking time: I didn't quantify the talker use (mine or Maya's) but if I had to venture an educated guess, I don't think that there was a huge increase in the amount of time that Maya spent using AAC. There was, of course, a huge jump in the amount of time that I (and Dave, too) spent using AAC . . . and Will showed a renewal of interest as well.</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-Quantity of AAC listening time: Humongous jump for my kids. They were used to only seeing me model briefly on any given day, and now I was wearing a talker every time we walked out the door. Big jump.</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-Quality of AAC talking: Huge jump for me---I am solidly fluent now, rightside up/upside down/sideways. I'm as fast as the system allows me to be. I still use the search feature daily (because I like to say what I'm really thinking and because I'm happy to take the extra time and model the search feature) but I'm happy with that. Maya's quality is great, as usual----and she's gained a bunch of words through these 21 days.</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-Quality of AAC listening: Huge jump for Maya. She used to be indifferent to my modeling, often leaving me (literally) talking to myself. Over the course of these 21 days she has become undeniably and considerably more interested in watching me talk. She hasn't wanted to talk about my increase in talker use (sometimes saying that she likes it, sometimes that she doesn't, most often ignoring the line of conversation) but everything about her behavior says that this has been so good for us.</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-Family Culture: We became a more genuine&nbsp;<a class="_58cn" data-ft="{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;*N&quot;,&quot;type&quot;:104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/aacfamily?source=feed_text&amp;story_id=943545039022656" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;"><span aria-label="hashtag" class="_58cl" style="color: #627aad;">‪#‎</span><span class="_58cm">AACfamily‬</span></a>. I wasn't just supporting or encouraging Maya to use a talker, I used one myself (or wore it, at least). I paused to say things. Our communication rate slowwwweeeedddd down, allowing for my pauses to tap out sentences, and probably settling in a space that was easier for her to keep up with.</div><div style="line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-top: 6px;">-For me: I really feel like this has deepened the connection between Maya and I. It also effectively erased any sort of self-consciousness that I may have had about wearing the iPad and modeling everywhere, simply by making it my job ("I have to do this! I'm in a challenge!"). And I can't really imagine leaving the house tomorrow without wearing the blue iPad anymore than I can imagine leaving without my shoes. Rather than feeling like I have to make the conscious choice to bring it, I feel like I would now have to make the conscious choice to leave it at home.</div><div style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-top: 6px;">It all feels like success.</div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;"><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-top: 6px;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LuXPmJ-pfEA/Ve4lZId8maI/AAAAAAAAFRE/KIlCzpnZb-8/s1600/IMG_1314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LuXPmJ-pfEA/Ve4lZId8maI/AAAAAAAAFRE/KIlCzpnZb-8/s320/IMG_1314.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>&nbsp;"Can you find another 9?"</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSEDVr5e8-w/Ve4lasAG9WI/AAAAAAAAFRM/EZMxhbsAI6k/s1600/IMG_1316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uSEDVr5e8-w/Ve4lasAG9WI/AAAAAAAAFRM/EZMxhbsAI6k/s320/IMG_1316.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-utoxC0YqsoM/Ve4leiWJTdI/AAAAAAAAFRU/NMp7WIqVOoQ/s1600/IMG_1321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-utoxC0YqsoM/Ve4leiWJTdI/AAAAAAAAFRU/NMp7WIqVOoQ/s320/IMG_1321.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;"><div class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div style="display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin-top: 6px;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">We did 9 cards at a time and cleared them when she grouped and talked about the categories. These were the last two.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-49032577887227414022015-08-14T07:28:00.000-04:002015-08-14T07:28:10.442-04:0021 Days of AAC Challenge!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7FD_m1hLH5M/Vc3K1z1BRkI/AAAAAAAAFLA/g94Ai0AAXmo/s1600/sunsetaac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7FD_m1hLH5M/Vc3K1z1BRkI/AAAAAAAAFLA/g94Ai0AAXmo/s400/sunsetaac.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />If you are a member of an AAC family, you have likely heard that the most important thing that you can do (after providing your child with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyHtoKuNU7c">robust ready-to-support-language system</a> and presuming competence) is model. Modeling (also known as aided language stimulation, aided language input, and ALgS) is when you use your child's AAC system to communicate, with several variations:<br /><br />(words spoken via AAC are in bold)<br /><br /><ul><li>Use your child's system to highlight certain words as you also speak: "<b>We</b>&nbsp;are having <b>fun</b>."&nbsp;</li><li>Use your child's system to build whole phrases/sentences instead of speaking. "<b>Your turn.</b>"</li><li>Use a separate device with the same language file (this works if you have 2 iPads and your child is using a communication app) as your own AAC device. (This is also called dual device modeling). (Same examples as above, just with your own talker.)</li></ul><div>Of course, you could also highlight words without speaking them, or build whole phrases/sentences while speaking them, or use a combination of single and dual device modeling, or probably a bunch of other possible modeling plans that I haven't listed.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>(Is this starting to feel complicated?)</div><div><br /></div><div>And then there's the question of which words/phrases to model. There's a lot of emphasis on core words and core vocabulary (core words = the words that make up the large majority of a person's vocabulary; including versatile, simple words like <i>eat, push, go, stop, in, up, this, it</i>) . . . but we also know that sometimes the stuff that gets our kids most interested in talking are the fringe words (names of tv characters, favorite toys, words like <i>fart, poop, gross</i>). And then there may be essential words/phrases/topics that we know are important for our child to start incorporating (communication repair phrases like <i>That's not what I said</i>, social interaction phrases like <i>What's your name</i>,&nbsp;questions, words to describe pain/seizures/medical conditions, introduction strategies, etc.) &nbsp;Not to mention the wealth of questions that immediately arise as soon as you try to model:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>For beginners:</i></div><div><ul><li>Wait, which words should I highlight?&nbsp;</li><li>Should I only model present tense verbs or should I use all of the tenses?</li><li>Do I need to pick a set of words and only model those 5-10 words until my child is using them?</li><li>Should I model one word at a time or more than one? When should I ever model full sentences?</li><li>What if my child isn't paying attention when I'm trying to model? Should I wait? Make him/her watch? Quit and try again later? Keep going?</li></ul><div><i>For intermediate/advanced:</i></div><div><ul><li>My child usually knows where words are better than I do, am I really adding much by continuing to model?</li><li>How can I balance between hitting new language targets while also remaining fluid and flexible in conversation (rather than feeling like a lesson)?</li><li>When should I recast/correct my child's production (eg. using AAC to restate their sentence while correcting verb tense, or adding articles, etc), and when should I ignore the errors?</li></ul></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>It can be overwhelming.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Depending on your degree of over-thinking-ness, it can be <u>really</u>&nbsp;overwhelming. (My over-thinking-ness degree is high, for the record).</i></div><div><br /></div><div>And yet, undeniably, modeling is essential.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Modeling provides children with accessible language input (input in a language that they will be able to access and then also use, whereas they may not be able to attempt to use the speech that they are hearing constantly). Children are immersed in speech from birth, but AAC users receive only a tiny fraction of that accessible language modeling in their AAC language. While many families can count on AAC to be modeled during weekly speech therapy sessions, consider these thoughts from Jane Korsten:</div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.4500007629395px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The typically developing child will have been exposed to oral language for approximately 4,380 waking hours by the time he begins speaking at about 18 months of age.</span></em><span style="background-color: transparent;">&nbsp;</span></div></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.4500007629395px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If someone is using a different symbol set and only has exposure to it two times a week, for 20 – 30 minutes each, it will take the alternate symbol user 84 years to have the same experience with his symbols that the typically developing child has with the spoken word in 18 months!!!</span></em><span style="background-color: transparent;">&nbsp;</span></div></em></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.4500007629395px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The typically developing child will demonstrate language competency around 9 – 12 years of age having been immersed in and practicing oral language for approximately 36,500 waking hours. For 9 – 12 years that child has been using and receiving corrective feedback while practicing with the spoken word.</span></em><span style="background-color: transparent;">&nbsp;</span></div></em></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.4500007629395px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At twice a week, 20 – 30 minutes each time, it will take the alternate symbol user 701 years to have the same experience.</span></em></div></em></blockquote><div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: 'Open Sans'; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.4500007629395px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 21.4500007629395px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If we are to make any sort of dent in closing that gap, AAC modeling needs to become something that we do at home (and in the grocery store, and while out on a walk, and in the doctor's office, and . . . you get the idea)---for AAC beginners, of course, but even for our intermediate/advanced users.&nbsp;</span></span></div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some things that are great about modeling:</span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Provides children with an increased amount of accessible language input (as mentioned above)</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hands-on modelin</span>g time sneakily forces the modelers to become more familiar with the vocabulary placement and to increase their fluency with the system</li></ul><ul><li>Modeling will undoubtedly lead to programming/opening more words in the system, as you will notice things that you want to say but can't, because words are missing</li></ul><ul><li>Using AAC will validate your child's system, in a subtle-but-real way that says <i>I think this is such a great way of communicating that I want to use it, too!</i></li></ul><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Things that are challenging about modeling (aka "reasons that maybe sometimes I don't want to model") and why those are also great:</div><div><ul><li><i>My child wanders away when I am modeling and then the whole thing seems pointless.</i>&nbsp;Keep modeling anyway. Children who use AAC need to be determined to get their point across: AAC is slow, sometimes hard to hear, sometimes awkward or cumbersome. Our kids will have listeners who wander away----they need to see that it's worth sticking it out to communicate your thoughts. You're not just modeling the words, you're modeling what it looks like to use a communication system. You're modeling that you are comfortable using AAC, that you value it and don't quit just because listeners are indifferent. Stick it out.&nbsp;</li></ul><ul><li><i>My child finds the words much faster than I do. I feel awkward searching for so long between each word.</i>&nbsp; You are not only modeling words, you are modeling what to do when you are looking for a word that you don't know (I guarantee that our kids have words in their heads that they don't attempt to say with their devices simply because the words aren't programmed in or they don't know where to find them). &nbsp;Use this opportunity to say things like "Huh, I want to say <i>enormous</i>&nbsp;but I don't know where that is . . . do you have <i>enormous</i>&nbsp;in here<i>?</i>&nbsp;. . . let's take a look" while you model how to use the search feature. You can model how to use a synonym if the exact word isn't in there, or how to use a button like <i>"I don't have the word that I want"</i>&nbsp;or <i>"I need a new word." </i>You are modeling how to fight to get your message across, how to not quit because it is hard. (Also, if you ask your child for help finding words they may love being the expert :) )</li></ul><ul><li><i>I feel awkward using the device while out-and-about. Of course, I want my child to use his/her system anywhere, but I am a speaking adult, and I feel strange wearing an iPad and using it to talk in line at Starbucks. </i>I get it. I want Maya to feel empowered and proud and awesome when she wears and uses her talker, and yet I sometimes feel sheepish doing the same. I'm not a big fan of drawing extra attention to myself in public, and holding an electronic device and tapping on it with your kids is going to solicit some looks (and maybe comments too, about how we are all addicted to devices now). But we are awesome when we model in public. Maya has shown me, time and again, that she is generally resistant to using the talker in new places (so much to see and do that it's hard to care enough about communicating to slow down and do it). I need to model that it's worth taking the time to communicate everywhere---that we can pause on our walk to comment on something we see, that I can stop to ask a question, that it's ok (more than ok!) to take the time to use the device whenever, wherever.</li></ul><ul><li><i>My child sometimes pushes my hands away when I try to use his/her talker.</i>&nbsp;This one, actually, is the one reason that I would back off (temporarily) on the modeling. If you don't have a second device available for modeling and your child is showing this type of possessiveness over his device, I would honor it and simply try again later. I would ask permission ("can I use your talker to say something?") and/or choose a time when he isn't much interested in using it.&nbsp;</li></ul></div></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Despite knowing how important modeling is, sometimes I drop the ball. ("Sometimes" has sometimes been for a while, for the record.) Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. Sometimes life gets in the way, or I forget, or it starts to seem not that important. Sometimes we all need a jumpstart.</div><div><br /></div><div>So here's my proposal: <b>For the next 21 days, join me in committing to modeling with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.</b> Do not worry about whether you are doing it "right", just do it. I will post <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncommon-Sense-Blog/123130417730793">daily threads on our Facebook page </a>that provide an example of some type of modeling that I did that day (because sometimes simply seeing what someone else is doing is enough to have you thinking&nbsp;<i>"Oh, that's it? I can do that.</i>"). I (strongly) encourage you all to jump in---post to the daily thread, check in, share pictures or stories from your day of modeling. Ask questions. Share ideas/activities. &nbsp;Just keep going.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b>21 Days of AAC Challenge Frequently Asked Questions*:</b></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><i><b>-Why 21 days?</b></i><br /><div>Once upon a time, I learned that it takes 21 days of doing something (like exercising or waking up early) to form a habit. When the idea of this AAC challenge sprang into my head, along with it came the 21 day time frame---perfect for forming the habit of daily modeling, I thought. Then I googled and learned that the whole 21-days-to-form-a-habit thing is an odd, non-scientific myth . . . but I think it's still a great amount of time for a challenge, so I'm sticking with it.&nbsp;</div><br /><div><br /></div><div><b><i>-How long do I need to model for it to count? 10 minutes? 30?</i></b></div><div>This is a made up challenge without points or prizes. You earn your "day" of modeling by actively deciding to model and jumping in. Extra imaginary points will be assigned if you model throughout the day. (I think this is the sort of thing where success compels you to do it more---I have found that making myself model actually makes me want to do it more.)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>-<i>I'm kind of new to modeling and don't know where to even start--help?</i></b></div><div>Here are a few great getting started resources:</div><div><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-started-with-meaningful-modeling.html">Getting Started With Meaningful Modeling</a></div><div><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/take-look-tuesday-aided-language.html">Some modeling videos!</a></div><div><a href="http://www.speakforyourself.org/2014/01/26/simon-says-model-one-word/">Simon Says: Model One More Word</a></div><div><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/more-resources-monday-aided-language.html">More Modeling Resources</a></div><div><br /></div><div>But remember, the whole point of this is just to get more comfortable with modeling, and to form the modeling habit----it doesn't have to be structured or magical, it just has to happen.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>-<i>My kid isn't a beginner anymore---is my modeling really that useful?</i></b></div><div>Yes. You are modeling how to be an active, determined AAC user in a fast-paced world. You can pick higher-level language targets (using comparative and superlative adjectives, using contractions, increasing the number of questions asked, taking a larger number of conversational turns, starting to use and introduction strategy, modeling sentences with active verbs and then their counterparts with passive verbs, etc etc etc) to model.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><b><i>-This is a great idea, but &nbsp;. . . (we're about to go on vacation//it's the first week of school//we are throwing a family barbecue this weekend//insert other life-gets-in-the-way excuse here) . . . maybe I could start next week instead?</i></b></div><div>No, you have to start now.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Ok, actually I am just some lady on the internet and I can't hold you accountable for anything . . . but I think you should start now. Life is busy, and it will always get in the way. Particularly for our AAC users, who have to stop, form an idea, find the words to say the idea (often dealing with motor challenges while doing that) and then communicate it. That's a struggle. It's not fair for us to think "gah, it's too hard to start today" while our kids have to do it everyday. Suck it up, buttercup.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Join me, guys. This is going to be really fun!&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll share a few bonus ideas (like, "If you're looking for something to focus on today, try incorporating more adjectives" or something) along the way, in case you're struggling to come up with fun new stuff. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncommon-Sense-Blog/123130417730793">This is going to be Facebook based</a> (rather than blog posts) because it's still too painful to type a lot (my arm is on fire right now), and FB allows for it to be more interactive---I want to see your ideas and pictures and stories, too. At the end of the 21 days maybe I'll try to compile it into one giant blog post so that it will be easier to find.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy modeling!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>*"frequently asked questions" = "questions that I just made up right now"</div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-13058315047481549802015-07-09T07:41:00.000-04:002015-07-09T07:41:10.738-04:00The Holy Grail of the "Developmental Delay" Yesterday I spent time cleaning out some toys and books, donating and trashing and reorganizing. I came across a good number of toys with memories that started like this: <i>&nbsp;I remember this! It was a birthday gift that we asked for because the little pieces were supposed to help with developing a pincer grasp!</i>&nbsp;I know now, as a seasoned therapy-participating parent, that literally any toy can be used in a way to target therapy goals (fine motor, gross motor, imaginative play, speech games) but when Maya was small, missing milestones, and difficult to motivate (if you moved a toy from her reach, she would generally just find something else to look at, or wait to see if it would come back) I was constantly hunting for some thing, any thing, that would be <i>the</i>&nbsp;thing. The thing that she loved enough to fight for . . . the thing that was so rewarding that she would work her fingers to activate it . . . the thing that she wanted so badly she would do the work of trying to pull up to get to it.&nbsp;<div><br /></div><div>These type of memories, in which I thought meeting milestones was somehow just an issue of motivation and willingness to work a little harder, sting in a particularly specific way. It's not really a memory of the toy, it's a memory of the way that I thought about the toy . . . a little time-hop into the mind of the mom that I was back when we were just delayed on the path of typical development, when I thought that if we worked hard enough and smart enough we could still catch right up . . . into the mind of a mom who doesn't see yet that we're on a totally different road.&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div>I cleared things out and thought "I should write about this, this stuff of special needs parenting, the pursuit of some object that will elicit some behavior that will solve all of the problems."</div><div><br />And then I remembered that once upon a time (four years ago), I did write about it, but it never got posted. So, here it is:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u>The Holy Grail of the "Developmental Delay"</u></div><div><u><br /></u></div><div><div class="MsoNormal">“I really think you should put up a barre,” Karen said, gesturing to the wall in our hallway, about 2 feet off the ground.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“A barre?&nbsp; Like, a ballet barre?”&nbsp; I doubtfully looked where her hand was, the walls smooth and light blue, and imagine the screws and rods that would support a barre.&nbsp;&nbsp; A week earlier I had managed to create three extra holes in the bathroom wall just attempting to hang a picture frame . . . I could probably do some &nbsp;impressive damage trying to install something sturdy enough to bear weight.&nbsp;&nbsp; Big holes and crumbling plaster.&nbsp; Sounded like a terrible idea.&nbsp; And yet . . .<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“You really think it would help?”&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Karen started talking, slowly at first and then with increasing excitement, about the benefits of putting up the barre . . . and I let myself get swept in.&nbsp; I could see it too---the physical therapy sessions of pulling to stand, then creeping sideways with both hands holding on, eventually to learning to walk with only one hand on the barre.&nbsp; Maybe even taking steps backwards?&nbsp; Sure, why not!<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Amid this animated conversation about the impressive physical feats that she would undoubtedly accomplish, if only she had a ballet barre, Maya sat, a bewildered 18 month old lump.&nbsp; A relatively new master of sitting and slow crawling, she wasn’t showing any inclination to stand up, let alone walk.&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I envisioned the ballet barre and subsequent wall wreckage and thought to myself<i>, Well if that’s what she needs to learn to walk then we’ll just have to put it in, walls be damned</i>.&nbsp; “Interesting idea,” I tell Karen, “let me think about it.”&nbsp; We’ll see her again soon enough, in two days she’ll be back for another PT session.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The day wore on and I thought about it.&nbsp; I rolled the idea around in my head while making dinner, cleaning up, putting Maya to bed.&nbsp; I didn’t mention it to Dave, who would ask a lot of questions and then taint my thought process by adding in his opinion.&nbsp;&nbsp; There was a little voice in my head saying <i>Don’t do it.&nbsp; Don’t get your hopes up</i>, and I couldn’t see where it was coming from.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Then I started straightening up the apartment, and I saw.&nbsp; Oh, I saw.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">First, on the kitchen counter, I saw the rice bin.&nbsp; Literally, a bin filled with rice, hiding a handful of buried toys.&nbsp; The rice bin had initially taken up residency in a corner of the living room, bringing with it the promise of sensory stimulation.&nbsp; Touted by her occupational therapist as a possible solution to the fact that Maya’s chubby little hands tended to ball themselves up into tight fists, we were going to rub her hands through the rice.&nbsp; Her fingers would open and she would paw through the rice in hopes of finding buried treasures, if only we had a rice bin.&nbsp; So we got one.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Did she unclench?&nbsp; Well, a little, I guess.&nbsp; Long enough to grab a fistful of rice and shove it into her mouth, causing gagging and tears and some panic (the first two from her, the last one from me).&nbsp; She learned that use a quick slide of her balled fist across the rice would send a hundred little grains skittering across the wood floor.&nbsp; We kept at it occasionally, but threat of another mouthful of rice combined with the sharp little grains that lingered and stabbed my unsuspecting bare feet for days after a rice bin session outweighed any inklings of progress.&nbsp; That sucker was just waiting to be dumped down the garbage chute.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I walked toward our bedroom, picking up a loose sock in the hallway, and saw the ball pit.&nbsp; The red-and-blue-and-yellow inflatable ball pit (big enough for one adult &amp; two children), filled with 200 plastic balls.&nbsp; Well, not quite 200, as they were constantly on the escape, rolling under dressers and bookshelves, joining the scattered rice in dark corners.&nbsp; The ball pit was a gift from a therapist, arriving with the promise of increased proprioception (awareness of your body) and sensory stimulation.&nbsp; She would wiggle among the balls, and they would press on her body and give her feedback (“you’re lying down!&nbsp; you’re rolling and applying pressure to your right side!”) and her muscles would respond.&nbsp; She would make a lot of progress and be stronger and more balanced and have a lot of fun too, if only she had a ball pit.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The day that it arrived I inflated the ball pit and filled it with balls, and I picked Maya up and whispered excitedly to her about going to play in the balls. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Oh my goodness, what fun!&nbsp; You can sit in here and play with the balls!” I lowered her carefully, the sea of plastic balls parting and plonking as her weight shifted them around.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">She looked up at me, eyes widening.&nbsp; She stiffened, and fell backwards.&nbsp; A sea of balls rolled up over her neck and arms, threatening to swallow her entirely.&nbsp; She started to wail.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Not exactly what I had hoped for.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Subsequent tries were less tear-inducing, but not exactly progress filled, either.&nbsp; Don’t get me wrong, we eventually had fun with the ball pit, but I didn’t see any direct developmental fallout.&nbsp; The balls were fun, but that was about it.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The small anti-barre stirrings were getting stronger.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I threw the sock in the hamper and got changed, trading jeans for yoga pants, and headed to the living room.&nbsp; Dave sat on the couch, typing quickly on his laptop.&nbsp; The tv was on, but he wasn’t watching it.&nbsp; I picked up stray board books and tossed them into Maya’s book bin, gathered the plastic farm animals and stuck them in their appropriate plastic container.&nbsp; Stuffed animals went into the big wicker basket.&nbsp; Our living room was a great divide---computer saddled adults on the couch to the right, children’s toys and debris on the giant red foam mat (a birthday present, special ordered from a therapy warehouse, to cushion Maya’s falls, which tend to be hard) to the left.&nbsp; With the smaller stuff cleared away, I turn and eyed the trio of large gym cushions.&nbsp; Dave kept typing.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The gym cushions were a discovery on Craigslist---an amazing deal, a set of three for half the price of what one mat typically sells for.&nbsp; They were old but in great condition, and big—each coming up to about knee height---a large blue square with a tunnel shaped cut-out, a green mini-staircase, and a red ramp.&nbsp; We had to have them.&nbsp; Winter was coming and we wouldn’t be able to use the playground for physical therapy anymore---these mats would be perfect for learning to climb, balancing, and motivation.&nbsp; She would be climbing up and down the stairs and sliding down the ramp in no time, if only she had these gym cushions.&nbsp;&nbsp; When Dave arrived home from work that night I breathlessly handed Maya over to him and said “I have to drive downtown to buy gym cushions---the seller is holding them for me until nine---bye!” and rushed out the door.&nbsp; Two hours later I returned, carrying each one in triumphantly (with Dave applauding), trying not to notice that they looked kind of large and clunky in the middle of our living room floor.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Maya loved them.&nbsp; She loved hitting them and smushing her face into them.&nbsp; Putting toys on them and crawling through the tunnel and licking them.&nbsp;&nbsp; They were a welcome addition, breaking up the boredom of being trapped inside during the winter months.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">But they didn’t make her stand.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And they didn’t teach her to climb.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And they really were big and cumbersome, which I was reminded of every night.&nbsp; Trying to stack them into the corner of the room was no small feat.&nbsp; It often took more than one try to get the balance just right, and create the gym-mat-totem-pole that reached my eye level.&nbsp; Dave had stopped typing.&nbsp; I took two steps back, willing the pile to not fall over.&nbsp; It stayed.&nbsp; I clasped my hands over my head victoriously.&nbsp; Dave laughed, and resumed typing.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I sank into the couch and pulled my computer from the side table onto my lap.&nbsp; I clicked my way through email and Facebook, paying only the slightest attention to the screen.&nbsp; I did a mental inventory of the other therapy-based stuff that we’ve accumulated.&nbsp; Oral motor tools fill a drawer in the kitchen, along with modified spoons and cups for kids with feeding disabilities.&nbsp; A child-sized walker waits in Maya’s closet, along with walking wings and outgrown orthotics.&nbsp; A stretchy blue therapy body suit sits in her top dresser drawer.&nbsp; Even her toys, toys that plenty of typical children have, were purchased with ulterior motives---this piggy bank will be great fine motor practice, this gumball machine will be great for crossing midline to deposit the balls in the top of the machine.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Not often do we just think <i>hey, let’s get this—it looks fun</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And that’s ok, I think.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I don’t have any issues with getting things that look fun <i>and</i> will (maybe) be helpful.&nbsp;&nbsp; The ball pit and the gym cushions were nice additions, even though they didn’t yield any miraculous results, because they’re also fun. (The rice bin?&nbsp; Well, I could have done without the rice bin.) &nbsp;But I can’t, I won’t, pin my hopes on <i>things</i> anymore.&nbsp; I’ve realized now that there is no <i>thing</i> that is going to rock our world.&nbsp; There’s not a thing that will help Maya to suddenly catch up.&nbsp; We will never look back and say “Thank god for that ballet barre---she wouldn’t be walking today if we hadn’t installed it!”<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The therapists haven’t gotten there, though.&nbsp;&nbsp; They think of the limitations of our environment (like the absence of a ballet barre) and become fixated.&nbsp; Karen will mention it many times, I know.&nbsp; And why bother to burst that bubble?&nbsp;&nbsp; Her belief that the lack of a barre is holding us back just shows how much faith she has in Maya---“Oh, this strong girl would surely walk faster if her parents would install a barre.”&nbsp; Yes, she should keep thinking like that. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I will decline the barre project, likely blaming it on Dave, who doesn’t have to face Karen three times a week like I do.&nbsp; Let him be the bad guy.&nbsp; “Oh, Dave really doesn’t want to rip up the walls,” I will say, “maybe instead she can work on the gym cushions or along the sections of fencing that we put up in the living room for her to practice pulling up on?”&nbsp; And she will relent.&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">And a year later, with a lot of work, but no ballet barre, Maya will walk.&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BhZrWDxFgis/VZ5dCetmhDI/AAAAAAAAFKE/4YWwSy3AS2U/s1600/CIMG0120%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BhZrWDxFgis/VZ5dCetmhDI/AAAAAAAAFKE/4YWwSy3AS2U/s400/CIMG0120%255B1%255D.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maya, 20 months, on the first day that she pulled to stand&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(next to one of the giant gym cushions, on her side of the living)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-29144501902229219602015-05-28T08:26:00.000-04:002015-05-28T12:58:33.224-04:00Knowing vs. ShowingI've <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/false-negatives-evaluations-of.html">said it before</a>,<a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-briefly-open-window.html"> more than once</a>, (and others have<a href="http://wearelikeyourchild.blogspot.com/2014/03/night-blooming-flowers.html"> said it better</a>), but I will say it again: Nonspeaking, complicated children can not be "sized up" by what they are able to communicate, demonstrate, or accomplish externally. The inner workings of children who are complicated (communicationally complicated, medically complicated, neurologically complicated, sensory-ly complicated) can't be assessed by their day-to-day expressive communication, or by success on performance tasks.<br /><br />I know this is true. I am a believer.<br /><br />I tell people who work with Maya "She understands everything you say, all of your body language, maybe some things that you spell aloud. She is very smart, and also unreliable. Expect that she will be challenging (in both the positive and negative meanings of the word). Sometimes she will look like she is not listening----she is always listening. You may think it's cute that she watches you as you write notes----she can read those notes, at least to some degree (and possibly "some degree" is a very large degree). Do not underestimate her."<br /><br /><br /><br />I do not underestimate her.<br /><br /><br /><br />I try so hard not to underestimate her.<br /><br /><br /><br />I probably underestimate her.<br /><br /><br /><br />I definitely, from time to time, underestimate her.<br /><br /><br /><br />I hope that the space covered in that "to" between the "time"s is significantly large.<br /><br /><br /><br />I don't know if it is.<br /><br /><br /><br />Maya has had a rough few weeks. It's allergy season here in NYC, and this season is packing a punch. Maya switched from her 2 daily allergy meds (used year-round) to 4-7, depending on the day. She is tired and uncomfortable. She started an unrelated new medicine directly before allergies, and we didn't have enough time to really suss out whether that had side effects before the allergy boom hit. She is acting out at school in a big way, which is likely part medical, part influenced by her peers (a few are having a rough time as well), and part behavioral. There have been a string of no-good-very-bad days. It's challenging not to be frustrated, not to feel like she sometimes veers toward the path of most resistance. I feel that her choices have a way of alienating the people who we most need to believe in her, to fill her days with learning and happiness.<br /><br />At home things are mostly unchanged. I try to model on a talker, hers or ours (I know that this is the most important thing that I can do, and I have preached about it, but I also know the reality of living-with-AAC is different than working-in-AAC, and, well . . . life). I model new words, or infrequently used words, or---more often, now---full sentences. She sometimes pays attention, sometimes pays intermittent attention, and sometimes leaves me talking to myself (literally and figuratively, it seems).<br /><br />We also continue to see Maya's home SLP (H), who visits once a week and does a beautiful job of working on total communication. H is targeting full sentences more and more . . . but Maya's formation is spotty. Sometimes she creates new sentences based on an earlier model (eg: she might say&nbsp;<i>She is mad because it is rainy&nbsp;</i>while looking at the model&nbsp;<i>He is happy because it is sunny</i>), but more often she will wait for H to form the sentence on her own iPad, and then copy it word for word into Mini, looking back and forth between the two screens.<br /><br />Maya's use of total communication is, to me, gorgeous. I can see how she chooses to use speech, AAC, gestures, intonations, and other modalities to communicate in a way that is perfectly Maya, and mostly understandable-to-me. But I worry for her. A novel communication partner (as in, someone who is not familiar with her methods of communication) won't be as patient, intuitive, or discerning as I am. And so, I push her to use AAC when I can . . . I feign ignorance (sometimes it doesn't require feigning). I say "Say that in a whole sentence" (when I can see that she has the motivation, curiosity, and energy to try). I walk the line between I-understand-you-don't-worry and You-need-to-try-harder-to-make-yourself-understood in the way that the parent of a young AAC user has to and hates to.<br /><br />Her spontaneous use of Mini could be described in three ways: functional, regularly startling, and primarily telegraphic. First, I have to note that there are a good number of times when she won't use the talker. I know she wants to say something, she makes some sort of effort with speech, and then loudly balks at the idea of using the talker. (I think that sometimes it's too much of an effort, from a motoric and sensory perspective, to make it worth her while. She sometimes seems to care less about us getting to hear her thoughts than she does about not doing the work.) But when she <i>does</i>&nbsp;use it, she can say what she's trying to say---and she can also tell us to add words, or that she needs a word that isn't in there. She uses as few words as possible to get the point across (that's the <b>telegraphic </b>piece, for you non-speech-immersed folks) . . . like if I asked "What do you want to do today?<i>"</i>&nbsp;then she would reply <i>list</i>&nbsp;instead of <i>make a list</i>, or maybe <i>playground</i>&nbsp;instead of <i>go to the playground</i>. The <b>regularly startling</b> component of her AAC use centers around her impressive knowledge of the vocabulary in the device. There are well over 5,000 words in there, and she is somehow able to use words like&nbsp;<i>cubicle</i>&nbsp;or <i>rough </i>in exactly perfect contexts, leaving me to scoot closer, squinting, and say <i>"</i>Wait, can you show me where it says<i> cubicle?"</i><br /><i><br /></i>The regularly startling, perfect timed productions have the general effect of expectation-raising among the people who bear witness to them. Seeing is believing, and that believing is often enough to carry them to the next episode of seeing. But I long for sentences. Spontaneous, non-formulaic sentences. First, because I know she's thinking a ton of spontaneous, interesting stuff, and <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-am-not-mind-reader-and-neither-are-you.html">I don't trust my ability to accurately fill in the gaps</a> around her words. Second, because I need to see her inner grammar. I've spent the past months working with a few different professionals trying to get a solid look into what she knows about sentence structure, word order, verb conjugations, etc---and we've gathered no consistently reliable information (this makes it difficult to know what to focus on in speech sessions). And third, I just want to know that she can do it. I want to know that it's in there, that maybe I can ease a little worry over will-she-be-able-to-really-truly-speak-up-for-herself. I try to stay in believing, but we've been in this rough patch and a new episode of seeing would be really nice.<br /><br />And on Tuesday night I saw.<br /><br />Apparently Maya wasn't ready to go to sleep at bedtime on Tuesday. She spent about an hour reading, sorting, and redistributing the 20ish books currently inhabiting her bed (I checked the video monitor every so often to see if she had settled in). Suddenly I heard Mini, and while I couldn't make out what was being said there was a good 15 minutes of talking before I decided to go in and re-tuck her in. She watched me as I crossed her dark room, her face brightly illuminated by Mini's screen. She didn't dive under the covers, and she kind of angled Mini ever so slightly my way . . . an invitation. I looked at the screen and then did what can best be described as a double-take, in the style of bad sitcoms or old cartoons. In the sentence strip of her app was this*: (I added the dashes for clarity)<br /><br />&nbsp;<i>Maya had fighting day--she is wrapped--hi Mommy--bad day Maya had</i><br /><br />This is a narrative. There's a story there, written with an intended listener in mind (<i>hi Mommy). </i>She did, in fact, have a bad day---although this isn't fully accurate, since she wasn't "wrapped." (She craves compression, which we call squeezing or squishing or wrapping in a big hug, but none happened yesterday,) Regardless, she told a story. A story that contains 3 properly conjugated verbs, and even a verb crafted to use as an adjective (<i>fighting day</i>). Any person could pick this up, read it, and understand. It isn't telegraphic. There aren't gaps to fill in. She did the whole thing, without a model, spontaneously.<br /><br />And there was more.<br /><br />I asked her if I could see what else she had been saying, and she cheerfully replied "let's see!" which is her permission granting to open the history feature and read through what she had been upto. I could see that the previous 15 minutes had been filled with utterances that were very atypical:<br /><br /><i>1- Today is Wednesday May&nbsp;</i>&nbsp;This was saved in Hold That Thought, a feature that allow her to access the entire sentence with only two pushes in the future. I believe she saved it with the intention of using it in class the following day.<br /><i><br /></i><i>2- I going to speech with B &nbsp; </i>This was also saved in HTT. Her classroom rules require her to "check-out" with the teacher before she leaves, reporting where she is going and with whom. I believe this was saved with the intent to use to check out for speech.<br /><i><br /></i><i>3-Maya had better day--she has fish </i>&nbsp;Maya really wants to get new fish for her aquarium if she has some good days.<br /><i><br /></i><i>4-Jane had better speech question mark &nbsp;</i>Jane is a classmate. Maya actually included "question mark" instead of knowing how to access the <i>?</i>&nbsp;in her keyboard . . . but she made a question, a natural one that could only be formed with inflection, and new to include punctuation that would indicate it was a question and not a sentence.<br /><i><br /></i><i>5-John had better speech question mark &nbsp;</i>John is another classmate.<br /><i><br /></i>These sentences were interspersed with other things---single words, activation of previously saved phrases (from HTT), a good bit of typing on the keyboard. Some of the strings of "gibberish" typing were saved, leaving me to wonder whether she was maybe alternating between the two-handed rapid-fire indiscriminate typing that she is sometimes a fan of with more purposeful one-fingered tapping. Maybe she was typing sentences that she wanted saved, too.<br /><br />This production is incredible. It shows use of correct word order, proper conjugation of verbs in the present and past tenses, proper use of the HTT feature to plan ahead and save utterances for the future, use of punctuation, and use of imagination (#3).<br /><br />We have never seen her use her talker like this before.<br /><br />No one has ever seen her use her talker like this before.<br /><br />No one knew that this was a thing she could do.<br /><br />I think it's likely that the environment was her biggest ally while she was writing this. It was dark. The air conditioner was running, so she couldn't hear any household noises above its steady rumble. No one was interrupting her thoughts with conversation or demands, and she could take her time to proper target and execute the fine motor movements to effectively hit each button and build her sentences. She had very little sensory input to process, and all the time and calm that she needed to organize herself to properly produce the output that she desired.<br /><br />I told her how much I loved reading her thoughts, and what great things she had to say. I talked about Jane and John and their speech sessions, and about getting fish, and about having a better day tomorrow. I tried to respond to the utterances that I saw, to make the point that I so loved hearing them, and I retucked her. I staggered out to the couch and showed Dave the picture I had taken (on my phone) of her screen. "I don't understand," he said, "She said that? By herself? Really?" I felt the same way. We opened the history file (which I had emailed to myself from Mini) and read through the other things that she had been saying, and then kind of just sat and let it all marinate.<br /><br />I try, always, to presume competence. To believe that she understands, makes connections, thinks interesting complicated things, learns constantly, etc. But this incident, these sentences, have reminded me that presuming competence sometimes needs to be presuming <i>awesomeness</i>, presuming <i>genius</i>, presuming that sometimes the visible parts of a person are so far disconnected from the inner workings that you have to consciously remind yourself, frequently, to disregard what you are seeing and trust completely in something that you can't see at all. Maya tosses me reminders to believe, but nothing like this. This was like . . . imagine you had a spouse who was trying to learn to roller blade, but rather prone to taking falls, and you were holding onto hope that someday he would be able to skate without falling and would keep up with you as you skated around the park. And then you found out that after you go to bed at night he's actually in the roller derby. That's what this was like. My presumption of competence was for non-clumsy skating in public. She's got the roller derby in her.<br /><br />Her output doesn't reflect her inner working. She is always, always listening and learning. She will occasionally open the window, tossing us something new to see to help us remember to believe, but our job is to keep believing regardless of the last seeing. &nbsp;To presume competence always, but also to try to shift into presuming awesomeness. It's easy to presume awesomeness now, in this moment, but if we have a hard few weeks, this high will fade. On the hard days I will try to presume competence and capability and cleverness. But on the other days, I'm going to work on pushing even harder to raise my inner bar, to model amazing interesting sentences. I will work on remembering that Maya's learning doesn't look like "typical learning", it doesn't look like focus or rapt attention, it looks like sometimes attending and sometimes wandering and sometimes ignoring and sometimes rejecting, but it <i>is </i>learning and it is happening all the time.<br /><br />I just have to believe.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Chsn27qXBPg/VWcJy5VVdBI/AAAAAAAAFH4/rTbWrCfIRCs/s1600/11080871_871127412931086_1890323789320241096_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Chsn27qXBPg/VWcJy5VVdBI/AAAAAAAAFH4/rTbWrCfIRCs/s320/11080871_871127412931086_1890323789320241096_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>random photo of my kids, included to make this post more easily pin-able</i></div><br /><br />&nbsp; <br />*<i>sensitive information in Maya's utterances have been modified, while maintaining integrity of the grammatical structure and length that she produced.&nbsp;</i><br /><br /><br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-77498101760817689292015-04-18T20:09:00.000-04:002015-04-18T20:09:31.863-04:00AAC-using Popsicle Puppets <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>&nbsp;Do you have a young AAC user in your life who loves characters? Then this (very simple) project is for you:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f3s39qLtHRE/VTLqU2RD0DI/AAAAAAAAFFs/Hqit0Ym84Xo/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f3s39qLtHRE/VTLqU2RD0DI/AAAAAAAAFFs/Hqit0Ym84Xo/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hi friends!</i></div><br />Maya loves characters. Recently in therapy she made a few popsicle stick character puppets, and I thought about how easily they could be modified to use with AAC. They are highly motivating and can be used in a <i>ton </i>of different ways. Here are the instructions and some ideas for use:<br /><br /><br /><u>Step 1:</u>&nbsp;Print pictures of characters. Or trains. Or people from TV shows. Or trees. Basically anything. I printed mine on cardstock for a bit of extra durability.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngn08ZQs_a8/VTLqZvz7D7I/AAAAAAAAFF0/hImoG5t91Ic/s1600/IMG_0249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ngn08ZQs_a8/VTLqZvz7D7I/AAAAAAAAFF0/hImoG5t91Ic/s1600/IMG_0249.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><u>Step 2:</u>&nbsp;Use a hole puncher (or whatever) to make a finger sized hole in the picture.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HC_A11Syj8Q/VTLqZoAPjKI/AAAAAAAAFGE/_2ivHdbcdaM/s1600/IMG_0250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HC_A11Syj8Q/VTLqZoAPjKI/AAAAAAAAFGE/_2ivHdbcdaM/s1600/IMG_0250.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Step 3:</u>&nbsp;Glue on a popsicle stick. Don't leave too much sticking out at the bottom, as that could get tricky for modeling later. Just enough that you can grab it and make it walk/hop/jump/drive around during pretend play.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8-GXJ_jp6w/VTLqZsJ_pAI/AAAAAAAAFF4/TUp6TSmBL1I/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E8-GXJ_jp6w/VTLqZsJ_pAI/AAAAAAAAFF4/TUp6TSmBL1I/s1600/IMG_0251.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><u>Step 4:</u>&nbsp;After the glue dried, I covered mine in clear packaging tape. This is optional, but I think if you don't do it there's a good chance the finger hole will tear. As you can see, I didn't waste much time on this---just get it all taped up, it doesn't matter if the tape is hanging over the edges. You'll fix that in a minute.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y_G0ZAnNfWI/VTLqaOeM8dI/AAAAAAAAFF8/tBB-NZMzfFY/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y_G0ZAnNfWI/VTLqaOeM8dI/AAAAAAAAFF8/tBB-NZMzfFY/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><br /><u>Step 5:</u>&nbsp;Cut off the extra tape from around the edges, and cut the tape out of the finger hole. (I used the hole puncher to punch a hole through it first, then cut.)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bL8NWFyMOjo/VTLqacEQfkI/AAAAAAAAFGk/-OLnPFDBLyk/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bL8NWFyMOjo/VTLqacEQfkI/AAAAAAAAFGk/-OLnPFDBLyk/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Step 6:</u>&nbsp;Pat yourself on the back.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Maya helped me make these and was <b>extremely</b>&nbsp;excited. As soon as the first one was done she grabbed it up and went straight to Mini to show me that Mike Wazowski wanted a smoothie. Interestingly, she had a better idea for use than I did---I thought I would stick my finger through the back-----but she showed me that sticking your finger through the front lets you see the character and do the speaking/modeling at the same time. Super fun!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oY5K4DqhvEw/VTLqaWul_DI/AAAAAAAAFGI/-QjaPJ3UAPY/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oY5K4DqhvEw/VTLqaWul_DI/AAAAAAAAFGI/-QjaPJ3UAPY/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />This is what it looks like when I model with the finger puppet. For kids who aren't highly motivated to attend to modeling, this is way more fun than just watching a finger.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a1wir-JhfX0/VTLqauYFvtI/AAAAAAAAFGc/rvqmx7ArjC8/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a1wir-JhfX0/VTLqauYFvtI/AAAAAAAAFGc/rvqmx7ArjC8/s1600/IMG_0255.JPG" height="340" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><u>Possibilities</u><b>:</b><br /><br /><ul><li>Use during pretend play to model what the finger puppets are saying/doing/thinking. Ex <i>I love jumping on this table, I am hungry, I want to go in the bus</i></li><li>Use to practice interviewing/questioning. The puppet can ask the child questions (<i>What is your favorite color)</i>&nbsp;or the child can ask the puppet.&nbsp;</li><li>Two puppets can talk to each other----one on the finger of the child, one on the finger of the communication partner.</li><li>The communication partner can play the role of the puppet, or can act as a narrator independent of the puppet (Like "I wonder what he's going to say next" or "Let's ask him what kind of ice cream he likes . . . Hmm, it looks like he's going into the dessert screen, I wonder which flavor he's going to pick!")</li></ul><div>There are a ton of possibilities, I imagine---these are just a few that we played with today. Please feel free to chime in below and share ideas for how these might be used----or with ideas of other fun puppets to create!</div><div><br /></div><div>(Also, I shared this previously on the blog's Facebook page, but this also works with actual puppets. We did this a little while ago and it was fun for a bit, but I have a feeling that the characters will have more staying power---my kids love characters.)</div><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMRKrsBeEMc/VTLqawFGNKI/AAAAAAAAFGU/RCUdg_RTFsQ/s1600/IMG_0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZMRKrsBeEMc/VTLqawFGNKI/AAAAAAAAFGU/RCUdg_RTFsQ/s1600/IMG_0259.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>puppet with a finger hole cut out for modeling</i></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-9469438974079062702015-04-16T10:11:00.005-04:002015-04-16T10:11:55.661-04:00Communication Repair at 2: Speech, Gestures, and AACThis is Will. Will is a "typically" developing 2.5 year old who has had access to his own AAC device since the <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/02/aac-by-18-months.html">age of 17 months</a>. This happened partially because he really <i>really</i>&nbsp;wanted to get his sister's talker (she is an AAC user with complex communication needs), partially because I think that all toddlers could use the help of AAC sometimes, and &nbsp;. . . partially because I had spent the previous 3 years shouting from the mountaintops that <u>AAC will not impede the development of speech</u>&nbsp;and now it was time for me to kind of put my money where my mouth was.<br /><br />But I'll talk more about that another day.<br /><br />Today I want to share this video of Will, taken yesterday morning right before we headed out to our playgroup. He was sitting in the stroller and making some sort of gesture, accompanied by word approximations that I couldn't quite understanding. Maybe something about a book? I assumed it was an item that he wanted to bring with him (he had just asked for the little Daniel Tiger popsicle stick puppets in his hand) but I couldn't guess what he was asking for.<br /><br />I had just handed him the puppets, started singing a song about walking to playgroup, and moved toward the door to leave when he started gesturing and talking to me. We backed up a step and I grabbed my phone and started filming.<br /><br />I don't want to spoil the ending by talking about what he was saying (we did, in fact, arrive at the answer in the end) so go ahead and watch this first----see if you can guess the answer before I did:<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JaAKMgtIRpk?rel=0" width="640"></iframe> <br /><br />In hindsight, it seems so obvious. <i><b>So </b></i>obvious.<br /><br />So, a few take-aways:<br /><br />1. This is pretty great stuff. I'm so happy that he has another tool in his communication toolbox that can help him get his point across. He knew to ask for the talker when he realized that we weren't going to get there with just speech and gestures. He is a speaking child, but AAC does many things for him (again, that will be a big post), including providing a means to repair communication breakdowns. (For more on communication breakdowns and AAC, <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/11/communication-breakdowns-repairs-with.html">see here</a>.)<br /><br />2. I'm going to pat myself on the back for my wait time in this video. When he starts poking around, looking for some word to provide me with a clue, it was hard not to jump in. When he was on the character page, I resisted the temptation to name characters whose names have similar sounds to "doe wahn." When he was on the academic page, it was hard not to point to the tile for "book" since I thought that might be his target. But I'm glad I kept my mouth shut (and my fingers still).<br /><br />3. I thought <i>field trip</i>&nbsp;was an error. &nbsp;I'm glad that I wasn't dismissive or negative about that selection---I could have said "No, not field trip" and reached across and deleted it. That probably sounds awful, but I've seen it happen time and again in videos---the communication partner is sure that they know what the child is trying to say, and they keep redirecting and redirecting until they get that answer. (For more on we-can't-read-their-minds, please see: <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2013/07/i-am-not-mind-reader-and-neither-are-you.html">I Am Not A Mindreader (And Neither Are You)</a>.) &nbsp;Instead, I asked "field trip?" and when he said "No" I repeated "No" to confirm what he was saying (my tone was a little dismissive---I wish I had asked "No?" instead).<br /><br />4. This whole exchange brought me right back to two years ago, when Maya was (persistently, amazingly) trying to tell me to add a word to her talker, and I was (desperately) unable to understand what word was missing. Similarly, there was a happy ending, but boy---the emotional rollercoaster leading up to it was a bit gutting. You can see that here (and the creator of the TV show being discussed actually swung by to comment, which was pretty neat): <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2013/08/i-need-new-word.html">I Need A New Word</a><br /><br />And finally, here is a picture of Will holding a stop sign. Without a picture, this post isn't pinnable and is more difficult to share, and I like this one. I'm including two different symbolic interpretations below the picture. I prefer the first one, but if I'm being honest with myself the second is equally (if not more) accurate.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjOFP3uTAdQ/VS_Bs8FSGvI/AAAAAAAAFFU/bUGc7iutSxg/s1600/IMG_0207.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tjOFP3uTAdQ/VS_Bs8FSGvI/AAAAAAAAFFU/bUGc7iutSxg/s1600/IMG_0207.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Stop! Wait! Give me time to use my device without interrupting!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Stop singing that atrocious made up song about going to playgroup! It's Wheels on the Bus or nothing at all!</i></div><br /><br /><br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-87535334484501994262015-04-12T13:46:00.003-04:002015-04-12T13:47:51.510-04:00Cartoon Character Guess Who (with download)Nearly a year ago, I wrote about Maya's great love of characters. At the time she was fairly determined to learn the name of every cartoon character under the sun, and to have them all added to Mini (her talker). (<a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/05/she-wants-to-name-names.html">You can see that post here.</a>)<br /><div><br /></div><div>Soon after that blog post, I found the old game Guess Who at a thrift store and grabbed it. I didn't totally remember how the game worked, but I know that it's a favorite among SLPs and teachers because it can be used to practice labeling with adjectives, discussing characteristics, and asking questions. I knew that Guess Who would be most compelling for Maya if the human faces were replaced with some of her beloved characters &nbsp;. . . and so that's what we did.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vSJgr9X4HXA/VSqst2aQ20I/AAAAAAAAFEs/PbLfEHSFtog/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vSJgr9X4HXA/VSqst2aQ20I/AAAAAAAAFEs/PbLfEHSFtog/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>It took a little fiddling to get the dimensions right, but eventually they were perfect.&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The document containing all of the characters above <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRc2tRaDRHMk9Nb0U/view?usp=sharing">can be downloaded here</a> . . . and if you don't like those characters, feel free to use the grid and just add pictures for your preferred people! <i>Hint: Print this on cardstock so that you can easily slide the characters in and out.</i><br /><div><br /></div><div>Oddly, it's taken a year to post this---I have no idea why I didn't put it up when it was first created (I think that maybe I shared it on my Facebook page and forgot to write something here?). I only noticed today because I scrolled back through my blog to find the printable sheet (we needed some replacement tiles) and realized that somehow I never put it up. In case you're curious, this is what Maya's character page looks like today:</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h9GCXCGLM1M/VSqtsDGS8KI/AAAAAAAAFE0/KfdcYWIYtBU/s1600/photo%2B1.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h9GCXCGLM1M/VSqtsDGS8KI/AAAAAAAAFE0/KfdcYWIYtBU/s1600/photo%2B1.PNG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And we've got a new one growing, too:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVxMdLX8Zyw/VSqt5MzWFFI/AAAAAAAAFE8/bpzX6YXEjvs/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(1).PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YVxMdLX8Zyw/VSqt5MzWFFI/AAAAAAAAFE8/bpzX6YXEjvs/s1600/photo%2B2%2B(1).PNG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(we also have Disney princesses, but they started out on a separate page)</i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>For what it's worth, we still walk the line of figuring out when to add every-single-new-character she encounters, and when to wait a bit. But these pages sure are invaluable when she wants to chat with new kids in a waiting room or other similar situations. I imagine she uses it with her friends at school, too. Kids need the vocabulary of other kids, even when that vocabulary includes hoards of cartoon characters :)&nbsp;</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0